A small patch of public greenspace in Steveston was scheduled to lose part of its tree cover this week.
A total of five trees, including a mature oak that is roughly 70-feet tall, were to be chopped down for re-development of the site beside the Steveston Post Office and Moncton Street boardwalk for a Japanese-themed garden.
The area, called Steveston Town Square Park, was developed in 1989 as part of a Steveston Downtown Revitalization Project.
The Newsreported back in early July that city council approved a $250,000 concept plan that features a Japanese Torii gate and Suikinkutsu sounding bell.
The features are to compliment the newly renovated Japanese Fishermen’s Benevolent Society Building which is adjacent to the site.
The initial report on the project made no mention of losing trees to accommodate the garden, although it did say the park, “was in a deteriorating state, which included the five trees,” said city spokesman Ted Townsend in an email.
Townsend added conceptual plans, such as the one released this summer, are generally followed up by more detailed ones, once council approval is granted.
“We don’t want to spend the dollars and time to do comprehensive planning prior to approval because that money would be wasted if council rejects or asks for changes to the plan,” Townsend said. “Once we have approval we do more comprehensive planning and we get a fuller picture of the work required to complete the project, which, in this case, included determining that the five trees needed to be removed.”
The recommendation was made following an examination by a city arborist who determined the tall oak tree had a high potential to fail and cause significant damage to the post office building.
Also identified was soil cracking around the tree’s base, indicating possible excessive movement during recent windstorms.
A pair of apple trees and a cherry tree were deemed to be in poor condition due to suppressed growth. Plus, the cherry tree had very thin canopy foliage and was susceptible to cherry bark tortrix beetle.
One maple tree located in the northwest corner of park was observed to be in fair condition, but along with other trees slated for removal it would be affected by proposed grade changes for park upgrades.
Townsend added the park’s redesign will retain six existing trees and size-appropriate replacement trees will be planted on site to replace the stand of trees that are being removed.
Next door to the park, Rebecca Hazama, who does accounting work for Pacific Net and Twine, said she has seen several people taking photos of the trees in the past few days after a notice was posted indicating the trees were to be removed as early as Oct. 7.
And on Tuesday Hazama spied a woman in her 20s sitting in the park, crying unconsolably.
Hoping to offer some help she went to see what the matter was, but the woman would not speak to her.
“A pair of two old ladies sitting on a bench nearby told me the woman was probably crying about the trees,” Hazama said. “Who knows what it really was. Maybe she had a special connection with the trees. Maybe she met her boyfriend there.”
