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APPLETON-- An Appleton man is fighting to save more than 180 trees from being chopped down. City leaders say the trees need to go to make way for storm water retention ponds at Reid Golf Course.

But Jerry Smith says Reid golf course won't be the same once the city removes the trees.

"If you took 186 trees with a canopy of 30 feet wide, you’re looking at 19 football fields worth of trees coming out of the Reid golf course,” Smith said.  "It’s like going to a new barber and getting a bad haircut, Reid golf course is going to have a bad haircut."

The trees marked with spray paint will come down to make way for a pair of retention ponds.

Paula Vandehey is the director of the Appleton Public Works Department. She says the $4.2 million project will address flooding problems near the golf course.

“There's definitely people that don't like the project. Change is always hard and we know we're going to have to get through a construction year and then kind of a rebuilding year but we really think that in the long run this project will be best for Reid golf course,” Vandehey said.

Smith says he understands the need for retention ponds and realizes the city must build the ponds. But he says he's frustrated with what he calls a lack of communication between himself and city leaders working on the project.

“They seem to have their own plan on how this retention program should work and we've kind of been dismissed as citizens in terms of what we suggest they do with the project,” Smith said.  

Half of the course will be closed when construction begins next month. It's expected to wrap up by the end of 2013.