JEFFERSON —
County commissioners are taking responsibility for removing trees from around the west entrance to the courthouse Friday morning.
Commissioner Daniel Claypool said the tree removal was done as part of the board’s overall effort to address issues with county buildings and make the courthouse complex safe for visitors.
“The trees were too close to the concrete and (the roots) of one tree already buckled the concrete,” Claypool said. “Last year we replaced a whole section of concrete because it was buckled and dangerous.”
The tree work was the talk of courthouse employees who learned of the tree-cutting when they arrived at work — and saw they were gone. Critics especially bemoaned the loss of trees that shaded people entering the Center from the main parking lot.
“(The trees) have grown to be a part of our landscape,” said Harold Specht, chief assistant prosecutor. “It’s wrong.”
County Administrator Janet Discher took the heat from numerous county employees and officials when they learned that the tree service, Brobst, was hired through that office. “Janet took it on the chin, and the only reason (she had the trees cut) is because the commissioners asked her to do it,” Claypool said.
Discher said risk management drove the decision to remove the four ill-sited trees. She said concrete that is buckled or cracked can pose a tripping/fall danger for visitors, as well as damage building foundations.
“We’re trying to take care of the buildings,” she said. “These trees were too big for where they were planted. We would never remove trees without having a reason.”
Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court Judge Alfred Mackey, a county commissioner when the Justice Center was designed and built, said plenty of thought and study went into the selection of the trees that would grace the grounds. Landscapers were careful to pick greenery that wouldn’t adversely impact the building, he said.
“We had it landscaped to have a minimal impact,” Mackey said. “The trees were chosen so they wouldn’t cause problems. The trees that were cut down were 33 years old.”
Mackey and Specht also questioned whether the now-extinct trees were potential trouble-makers. “I’ve never observed anything that warranted concern about damage,” Mackey said.
On Friday, Mackey and Specht parked their cars inches from a tree in a spot adjacent to the old courthouse, the prosecutor’s building and the Justice Center to save it from any chainsaws. But Claypool said that tree was never on the list of those to come down.
Both Discher and Claypool said the board plans to have smaller, ornamental trees planted once the exterior renovation work is done at the courthouse.
As part of the board’s effort to make the grounds safer for visitors, Brobst also trimmed the deadwood out of trees growing along the perimeter of the main parking lot. Discher said shrubs in front of the courthouse had to be removed because they were causing structural damage.
“Nobody just cuts down trees,” said Board President Peggy Carlo. “This was in the plan all along.”......
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