Laura Street deforestation
09/12/07 • Posted in: Downtown Jacksonville, Eco by Joey Marchy 14 Comments »
All photos compliments of Jimmy Orth.
Yesterday Jimmy Orth, AKA Executive Director at the St. Johns Riverkeeper, sent me pictures and a question: “Do you know why they removed the trees at the B of A bldg. downtown?”
I do so I thought I’d share. I was out running Sunday morning and I came across a pretty horrific scene. Dozens of trees cut to the stump in each of the Bank of America planters lining Laura and Bay Street. I asked the person in charge what was going on and he told me they were updating the electrical and water in the planters.
He also added that all the trees will be replaced. Please don’t let it be palm trees. Please.
PLEASE DON’T LET IT BE PALM TREES.
I run by there, too, and was thinking this morning how bare and awful it looks with no trees. Also, someone already tagged one of the planters pretty good, it looked like.
I also hope that they don’t put up palm trees too.
If they are updated electrical, this would be a good time to add the historic street lamps to that block, as suggested by Metro Jacksonville’s Lighting Laura Plan from last year. Hopefully, the JEDC will take advantage of BOA’s work. If so, it will eliminate the darkest spot on the stretch between the Landing and Hemming Plaza.
Dailyrecord.com says… http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=48409
“Please don’t let it be palm trees. Please.”
At least Palm Trees are indigenous to our state unlike the extremely over planted Crepe Myrtle. If I see one more f#*King Crepe Myrtle planted, I’m liable to end up on the top this now treeless building with a high powered weapon.
Thanks for the tip roadking!
My office is right behind that lamp. It also gives the building (owned by Parmenter Realty) to find a cheaper company to get plants for. In my office alone it costed $200/mo for plant maintenance. Not anymore! All gone!
I was told by a person who works in the public works dept. that the type of palm trees that are used along Riverside Ave. can cost as much as $9K each. Also, those palms are not native and cost up to $500/tree/year to maintain. The state tree, the cabbage palm, is less expensive and doesn’t require as much maintenance. I am tired of trying to look like we are Dubai or some place other than good ol’ Florida.
It killed my day a little bit to see those trees ripped out.
The hot dog guy looks like he misses the shade!
I am back on the lifestyles machine that faces Laura. I choose to watch the trio slowly fall down instead of how the BOA meats the street. Tree hacking downtown is now more common than booger pickers at rush hour.
I do appreciate the leds are back on the main st bridge. Such that they are.
Cabbage Palm! Yes! - Very good point on the pricing/maintenence.. and most importantly ‘native’ness!
yeaah, believe its a game of numbers, palm trees are low maintenance, no leaves to blow, which oaks are high on that end
with at times daily maintenance with the sidewalk blowers. i thinkthe question is who planted the high maintenance in the first place!
I was shocked when I first saw the trees gone. But, we have to remember oak trees can’t stay planted in planters forever, eventually the root system would bust through the granite. I say plant the palm trees…..better than oaks in Downtown.
I work at Bank of America too. I was talking to Elton (the hot dog man who’s been on that corner for 10 years.) He said the maintenance man for Parmenter (the building owner) told him the oak tree roots had begun causing problems with the plumbing and wiring (which may be why they are working on them.) And, as James said, oak trees should not have been put in planters. Elton said he was told they are planting holly trees. 15″ diameter (I assume they meant the size of the pots) so they won’t be very big at first. Time will tell if Elton was right. But my money’s on him.
We walked back from the Landing last night and noticed something else. The sidewalk is brick and then large pavers. In both cases, the sidewalk is wavy. Some of the pavers are actually potential toe stubbers and jogger-stoppers. This is either from the Oaks or from poor underlayment. I suspect the Oaks. Too bad. So long as they plant them. Hollies would be good. Like palms, low maintenance and evergreen, but they are much slower growing, so they should start with some decent sizes.