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Tree troubles

Officials plan to remove trees from around the courthouse

April 03, 2008|Mike Wynn

For years, the historic architecture of the Clark County Courthouse has been obscured. Courthouse sewer lines have had drainage problems, and bird droppings have created health issues. But lately, county officials have decided to get to the root of the problem.

Four pin oak trees that stood in the courthouse's front lawn were removed in November, and the Clark County Fiscal Court voted last week to remove four Bradford pears along the Court Street side and a silver maple and Shumard oak in the back.

Officials hope removing the trees will boost the courthouse's visibility and help eliminate drainage and moisture problems that have caused structural damage to the building over time.

County Judge-Executive Henry Branham said the Fiscal Court voted to remove the trees after reviewing recommendations from the county's landscape committee and an expert study on historic landscaping.

"They cited all these as problems with the courthouse," he said. "What the landscape (study) looked at was bringing the courthouse to a historic looking structure."

Branham said the pin oaks on the front lawn were causing the courthouse gutters to clog, and the Clark County Health Department sent a letter warning that bird droppings around the building created health hazards.

The study said that trees in the back had been poorly maintained over the years, while the Bradford pears along Court Street have needed to be severely trimmed.

Meanwhile a courthouse building report in January warned that landscaping was trapping moisture around the foundation of the pre-Civil War structure, which has damaged the wood and stone elements over time.

"That's the reason the Fiscal Court has decided to remove these four trees and remove the two in the back in preparation for what we are going to do in the future," Branham said.

He added that the landscape committee is recommending that future landscaping remain minimal to maximize the view of the building.

One new tree is going in on the front lawn, however. The Fiscal Court voted to permanently plant a blue spruce, which will serve as the county's Christmas tree.

Branham said it will eliminate safety and security issues associated with having a Christmas tree in front of the courthouse door. It will also be more environmentally friendly by allowing officials to use the same tree every year instead of cutting down new trees.

"The idea was to put a permanent Christmas tree that we could decorate every year and keep it minimal," Branham said.

The trees are expected to be removed this month.

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