The woodmen are going to spare a spruce tree at 1415 East Second Ave., where a contractor is going to replace the entire sidewalk as part of a $500,000 improvement project in the neighborhood.
Tom Eskew, who owns property at the address, wants the tree removed because its shallow roots have broken the sidewalk. A longtime Durango arborist, Eskew says the tree presents a hazard.
“It’s not a matter of whether the tree is viable,” Eskew said. “It’s a matter of safety.”
For all his decades as a certified arborist, Eskew is out on a limb, city officials say.
Ron Stoner, retired city arborist; his replacement, Greg Sykes; and David Temple, a Montezuma County-based master arborist who was hired by the city for the occasion, say the spruce is healthy and viable, said Cathy Metz, director of Durango Parks and Recreation.
George Thompson, a principal in Kennebec Construction, the contractor on the renovation project, said it appears that the weight of the cracked sidewalk is the tree’s only support.
“But I’m not an arborist,” Thompson said. “I have to go with the experts. I just don’t want any liability.”
The spruce is going to get special attention.
Levi Lloyd, the city’s director of operations, said the replacement sidewalk will narrow to 4 feet from 5 feet on either side of the spruce, then return to its 5-foot width. About 40 feet of sidewalk will be 4 feet wide.
A concrete “bridge” will span the root system of the spruce, he said.
The cost of the bridge will be about the same as a regular sidewalk, Lloyd said. There will be less concrete, but there will be steel reinforcement.
“It’ll probably be net zero,” Lloyd said.
The cost of removing the tree, including traffic control during the operation, normally could run $1,500 to $2,000, Lloyd said. But if the city arborist does it, it’s hard to say, because removing trees is part of his normal job description.
City crews occasionally run into similar situations, but they work around them, Lloyd said.
daler@durangoherald.com
