HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-03-2015 Item 11, ShipseyEOV 15 COUNCIL MEETING :
To the San Luis Obispo City Council ITEM NO.:For inclusion at the Council meeting November 3, 201 Agenda Item 11: MISSION PLAZA CEDAR TREE ERK
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I am unable to be present at the City Council meeting scheduled for November 3, 2015 because of a previous appointment
out of town. I would like to express my thoughts and concerns about the Christmas Tree that was planted in Mission
Plaza in August of this year.
First of all, I am a 4th generation citizen of San Luis Obispo. My great - grandfather, who served as a council member and
mayor of this city 1898 -1902 left a legacy and love of this town that I too share. We have such a wonderful place to live
because of the love and concern that we all have to preserve our way of life for our generation and those to come.
I think Mission Plaza has been such a wonderful focal point to our city since it was built in 1972.
Of course, the Mission itself provides the very picturesque background for many events and also photographs.
The city has done a great job in maintaining and enhancing the plaza and I do appreciate it.
Trees have had a big impact on what you see and don't see.
Some of the early photos show a large tree covering a good portion of the front of the church itself. That tree was
removed and the front of the Mission was pretty much unadorned until the planting of the Silk Floss tree by Dominic
and Frances Bressi in 1963. I think they may have been trying to recreate the look of the tree in front from the earlier
pictures. Don't really know what their reasoning was for planting it in that location. I do know that as the tree grew and
the blossoms started causing people to slip, the mission did try on several occasions to remove that tree. They also had to
pull the granite blocks several times to trim the roots as they started to push up the steps and flagstones. It was not until
the earthquake retrofit that permission was finally given to remove the tree. I think this shows how strict the rules are over
the removal of trees, non - native trees I might add. Planting should also be given the same attention.
Many emails have gone back and forth between council members, Ron Combs and people from San Luis Obispo, even
Dan Krieger wrote an article for the Tribune. The tree itself is beautiful and could be a wonderful addition to the plaza,
especially over Christmas. My complaint is the location. Mr. Combs says the plan is to keep the tree trimmed and that
it would not grow to further encumber the view of the Mission itself. Well laid plans don't always work out the way
we promise. I also don't feel that there really was ample time given for input on the location. It seems that by the time
anything was put out to the public, the holes were already being dug.
My fear is that we may have a hard time coming to some sort of agreement of whether to remove or leave the tree. The
easiest thing would be to leave it, but I truly fear that the future will not be the picture Mr. Combs offers.
I offer a compromise. Mr. Combs stated in an email that the eucalyptus trees in the plaza have been in the process of
being removed, and the one that is currently closest to the new tree will probably be removed this year. Would it be
possible to speed up that process, remove that tree and move the Christmas tree closer to Chorro Street. If it were moved
to the other side of the light post, I don't think it would be causing the problems we have seen with the photos and effect
on the front of the Mission. It would also be more of a sentinel to the entrance of the plaza and maybe even enhance the
Christmas decorations and become more of a part of the downtown instead of just the plaza.
Just a thought.
I want to thank you for listening. We all have the best interest of the city in our hearts, unfortunately we come from
different viewpoints. Some of us stand by the bear fountain and don't see the mission because it is being blocked, and
some stand at the bear fountain and see a tree. Same spot, just viewed differently.
Theresa Shipsey
777 Johnson Avenue
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
tshipsey @sbcglobal.net