Two of the Shore Cliffs neighborhood’s signature coral trees are diseased and unsafe and need to be removed, according to a staff report included in the Parks, Beaches & Recreation Commission’s agenda for tonight’s meeting.
“The Urban Forester and Parks/Trees Superintendent determined the trees must be removed to mitigate potential liability due to severe decay and decline,” the report states. “(I)t is of major concern when these trees have existing decay and thus become more prone to limb failure and potential liability.”
The Parks, Beaches & Recreation Commission must vote on whether to approve the tree’s removal because they are listed as “Special City Trees,” the report states. The trees’ value is $17,220, the report states. The city would replace the trees with new coral trees.
A neighbor in the 300 block of Evening Canyon Road said that losing the trees was sad, but safety was a priority.
“At first I was upset with the thought of losing them, but I’m okay with it now. Can you imagine if a limb fell on my car with my kids in it?,” Patti Taketa said in an email. “They are trees, magnificent, but just trees…I think I’ll leave the day that they cut them down. It’s going to be pretty sad.”
In June 2009, a truck struck a branch of a coral tree on Seaward Road, compromising the tree’s stability. Neighbors hired a private consultant, who agreed with city officials that the tree needed to be removed. A replacement tree was planted; read our earlier story here.
The Parks commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall at 3300 Newport Blvd. The public may attend and make comments. The commissioners also will decide whether to ask the CIty Council to approve an encroachment permit that would allow the Irvine Terrace Community Association to install a storage unit filled with emergency supplies in Irvine Terrace Park; read our earlier story here.
Comments
October 2nd, 2012
Bummer... I saw one of those trees save that corner house when someone turned right onto Morning Canyon waaaay to fast one night. Hope they replace it with something... maybe another coral tree?
