BY HUGE MARGINS VOTERS ELECT KELLY, SHARPE TO HPISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES 18
JUNE 2017 I Vol. 37, No. xx I parkcitiespeople.com I @pcpeople I 214-739-2244
Wounded Landmark “ I F I T ’ S G OI N G TO STAY, W E N E E D TO D O E V ERY T HI N G W E CA N DO TO M A K E I T SA FE . ”
WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO KEEP HISTORIC PECAN? By William Taylor
MAYO R J O E L T.WI LLI AM S I I I
People Newspapers Highland Park’s grand old monarch pecan has become a troubled tree — troubled enough to pose a public danger and prompt talk of restricting access and modifying Christmas traditions. “If you had to stand in that spot for 152 years, how would you look?” asked Micah Pace, Preservation Tree Service arborist. Pace recently assisted in a risk assessment of the landmark tree in the median of Armstrong Parkway near Preston Road. The Dallas firm found four main spots of decay: to a structural root southeast of the trunk, to two limbs high above the ground, and to the upper trunk. Pace’s report rated the potential for failure of a damaged limb or trunk as probable within the next 12 months. Such an occurrence could bring significant to severe consequences to passing traffic on Armstrong Parkway, as well as to anyone working in the median below the tree, a memo to town leaders concluded. “It was painful to listen to that report and see the damage done to the tree,” Mayor Joel T. Williams III said. A car wreck damaged the root a few years ago, said Ronnie Brown, director of town services. Pace attributed the limb and
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The old pecan, once staked and hand-watered by a Civil War veteran who had plowed over it, needs extra care again. Preservation Tree Service found decay high above the ground to two limbs and the trunk.
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CONTINUED ON 12 P H O T O S B Y J O S H U A B A E T H G E A N D P R E S E R VAT I O N T R E E S E R V I C E
S U M M E R E N T E R TA I N M E N T
Discover fun options for hosting outdoor gatherings 36
NEWS
Highland Park Village devises plan for quieter construction 11
R E A L E S TAT E
Take a look at these luxurious backyard pools 34