By Frank Gormlie
Just got off the phone (7:38 pm Thurs.) with Katie Keach, contact person for the City on the issue, and she confirmed that the City is indeed “temporarily” delaying the destruction of the Torrey Pine – “Esparenza” – on Saratoga in OB that had been slated for Friday morning, August 12th. Keach stressed that the City still stands by its assessment that the tree needs to be removed, and the delay is only “temporary”.
Just this evening – mere hours after the City sent out a notice it was proceeding with the removal – the City backtracked and sent another notice out to the media stating:
“The City of San Diego has temporarily suspended plans to remove a failing tree from 4652 Saratoga Avenue in Ocean Beach. The work had been scheduled for Friday morning.
While it continues to monitor the condition of the 73-year-old Torrey pine, the City will work more closely with community members to discuss the tree’s condition, safety concerns and replacement tree options.”
Still, given the history between the residents and community on one side with the City’s arborists and Atlas Tree Trimming on the other, some activists are not sold that the City is enacting a delay for tomorrow’s cutting, and are still urging residents and supporters to appear at the tree site early in the morning.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ll be there.
I plan to be there, and Darla. The City position could easily change in the next ten hours. (dark humor)
I hope at least one person at The City does intend to work more closely with community members. Let’s prepare for that by learning their rules, as posted on the website. Then we can ask individuals to stand accountable for their decisions and actions, instead of speaking from behind the mask named The City.
See, that wasn’t so hard. The City blinked first and now have lost all credibility, first stonewalling the OB community, and then threatening to chop it down this morning. This isn’t a game, but the City leaders sure feel confident that they can continue to play us as fools.
Lori Zapf should resign immediately and leave OB alone for cryin’ out loud.
Emotion clouds judgment in cases that call for pragmatism
$5 says they’re just going to do it next week when nobody is there
How did it go Frank? Was the tree posing an immediate threat?
Please see our posts about the Torrey Pines.