Augusta Tree Commission Chairman LeRoy Simkins has been almost apoplectic since hearing that some city officials want to cut down the trees at the Common like they did a few years ago around the James Brown statue.
“They want to cut down 14 big oak trees down each side of the Common, yhe only thing that makes the Common bearable in the summertime,” Simkins said. “They’re healthy trees, only 20 years old.”
Simkins has been upset since hearing that Commissioner Sean Frantom proposed removing the trees during a recent meeting where he voiced other concerns about infrastructure at the Common, the site of the Saturday Market.
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“Trees provide shade, but it’s more of a deterrent from a visual standpoint,” Frantom said.
Recreation and Parks Director Maurice McDowell agreed that the trees should come down but proposed bringing in Simkins and the tree commission to be working partners.
“The trees that we put in were the wrong kind for that area,” McDowell said. “It would make sense to cut down the trees.”
Since then, two meetings were scheduled with the tree commission but later canceled. And another special called meeting has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday in the Planning and Training Room, Third Floor, Municiple Building.
Meanwhile, Simkins said he can’t believe anybody would come up with such an insane idea as cutting down the trees that provide shade and soften the appearance of the Common.
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“There aren’t many places in the world as hot as Augusta in the summertime,” Simkins said. “They should be worried about folks having heat strokes down there. They took down four perfectly healthy trees around the James Brown statue. People used to sit around under them and contemplate the statue. Now it’s so hot, nobody can sit down there.”
In one area, tree roots have raised the pavement, but that can be prevented with proper pruning by someone who knows what he’s doing, Simkins said.
Sylvia Cooper is a columnist with The Augusta Press. Reach her at sylvia.cooper@theaugustapress.com
