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Oct 21, 2008 6:51 pm US/Eastern
DeFede: The Gables Chainsaw Massacre
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Like a death row inmate hoping for one last reprieve, this tree, without some sort of stay of execution, will come down Wednesday morning.
The Brazilian Beauty-leaf tree in Merrick Park, across the street from Coral Gables City Hall, has been offering shade to Gables residents for 88 years.
But Wednesday morning the 50-foot tree, with a 70-foot span of branches and leaves, will be cut down because city officials argue it is at risk of falling because of disease and rot.
But activist Roxcy Bolton, who is almost as old as the tree, is leading a fight to save the tree. "I hold the city responsible for allowing this beautiful, magnificent tree to deteriorate," Bolton said standing under the tree Tuesday.
For Bolton, the fight is personal.
"I care about trees," she said. "I brought my children here when they were little babies. I nursed the baby here. I put down a quilt and we had wonderful memories in this park."
Bolton said the tree was damaged ten years ago when a car struck it and the city never properly repaired it. She argued the city has not looked for alternatives to cutting down the tree. They should have called in experts to try and save the tree.
Dan Keys, the city's public service director, admitted the city did not explore other options.
"The preponderance of evidence was such that any method we might use to try and save the tree would not be advisable," he said. "We didn't discuss alternatives because we had a recommendation for removal and we agree with those recommendations."
For Bolton, the desire to cut down the tree is emblematic of a larger problem in Coral Gables.
"This town is not the same," she said. "The best of Coral Gables is behind us. We'll never see Coral Gables as it once was."
So like a death row inmate hoping for one last reprieve, this tree, without some sort of stay of execution, will come down tomorrow morning when the chainsaws arrive.
Reporting from Coral Gables, a city that will be a little less beautiful tomorrow, I'm Jim DeFede, CBS4 News
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