All they wanted to do is plant trees.

But thanks to too many bureaucratic fingers meddling, the project has stalled. Throw in countless layers of rules, regulations and red tape, and a community group’s hopes to plant some trees with the city’s help may never come to realization — proof positive no good deed goes unpunished.

Noel Lomer, one of the members of a community tree-planting group, helped work on a $4,900 grant application to the city.

It’s an impressive group of volunteers from the Old Ottawa South area, about 140 strong, including a Cub Scout group.

Every spring and fall, the group —using their own money or funds they’ve raised in the community — plant trees in an area north of Sunnyside Ave., between Bronson Ave. and Bronson Place.

“It’s really fun, we get kids, teens, families. And it’s not just the planting, others volunteer to water, take care of them.

“We try to clean up our neighbourhood, plant trees and, generally, make our community look more beautiful. We love planting trees and it’s good for our community, our city,” Lomer said.

While they’re just concentrating on one area right now, the group dreams big, hoping to expand as time and money allow.

Gee, you’d think the city would like more residents like this group.

When the grant was approved, and then several required forms filled out, the group went into action, gathering volunteers for an April weekend of building and planting.

Then this week, another call from city staffer Julie Robinson, whom the group had been dealing with.

Seems instead of writing a cheque, the city now had a long list of concerns and it didn’t appear likely the grant would be ready in time for the spring planting.

They hasten to say they’re not cutting the grant, they’re just not cutting the cheque.

Seems the bureaucrats in something called the city’s Right of Way unit had issues about setbacks from snowplows.

As well, the group needed to have an agreement to cover long-term maintenance, roles, responsibilities, liability, insurance and viability.

Robinson was no longer hopeful the group’s April planting would be possible.

Capital Coun. David Chernushenko told the Sun on Tuesday there’s no ill will or incompetence on the part of city staff.

“But given the number of city staff from different departments involve, you had to know it was going to talked long than we though or certainly longer than we’d like,” he said.

“This group initiated trying to do a good thing and have ended up with a process that it taken longer than they thought. What can I say, we’re trying to resolve it.”

This isn’t the first time Lomer has run into trouble with the city. Back in 2010, having tended to dozens of trees himself, the city came along and in their attempts to trim the grass, actually cut off the bark of many of the trees, killing 40 of them.

“The trees were damaged by city contractors using a team with weed trimmers to trim grass from around plants and trees. I tried to save the trees by spraying with pruning paint, but no use,” said Lomer.

They were compensated with 10 new ones.

(That’s the city’s math.)

Perhaps this group’s problem is their idea is just too simple, too well-meaning, not wasteful enough.

Remember a grant handed out not too long ago to a local high school? It was a $7,000 grant for a solar boat and car race, coming from a $50,000 pot doled out to groups promoting renewable energy.

At the time, River Coun. Maria McRae questioned the value for city taxpayers of some of the projects on the receiving end.

Instead of solar boats, McRae believed she had a better idea.

“How about planting trees?”

Not a bad idea.