The top half of the big leaf maple has been leaning precariously for months now, pinching powerlines and threatening to fall on any passer-by happening to walk along the new sidewalk on 232nd Street in Silver Valley.
But late last week, the City of Maple Ridge said the tree will be coming down, soon.
Nearby resident David Caproff has been calling for the tree, at the top of 232nd Street, to be removed for months, ever since the Dec. 20 wind storm snapped off the top and left it hanging, leaning against wires.
“It’s been months like this,” Caproff said Monday. “It’s dangerous. The branches are brittle. They could fall anytime.”
Caproff complained last week and later that week, the sidewalk beneath the branches was taped off.
The December storm damaged another huge tree on his property which he removed, after being told by the city, at a cost to him of about $1,000.
But the tree on the other side wasn’t on his property and continued to stand there half broken.
It’s dangerous for his neighbour to park there, he added. It’s also risky for people walking on the sidewalk beneath the tree.
“It’s dangerous to the public, that’s what I’m concerned. And I warn everybody, so they walk on the other side of the street. That’s the main concern I have.”
According to the city, February’s snow and wind delayed the clearing of the tree.
“The contractor doing the removal and BC Hydro are trying to coordinate the work and they were hoping to do it when the weather was more favourable, (so) as not to cut power to Mr. Caproff’s home in sub-zero temperatures,” explained city spokesperson Fred Armstrong. “The recent snowfall events have impacted the timing to do the work.”
pmelnychuk@mapleridgenews.com
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