People before trees

Dear Editor:I am responding to a letter sent to the editor and printed in the Sept. 2 edition ("Save the Trees"). I live at the corner of Lexington Road and Downey Avenue and I love and respect all types of trees. However, the palm trees that were removed from this property site are not over 100 years old and neither are the remaining palm trees. They are, in fact, barely 90 years old and a menace to our current residents. So far the palm tree droppings have caused a myriad of injuries to the people who live here. Broken legs, twisted ankles and a broken foot caused by slipping on the berries that drop from these trees, to name a few! The giant palm fromes that drop off these pesky trees has caused numerous car damage to the residents who park near this corner. I personally made it my goal to have these palm trees removed for safety reasons. It took me more than a year to finally have the city of Downey assure me that they would remove these palm trees by the end of August 2010. However, because of people who think like [letter writer] George Redfox, who seem to believe that these pesky palm trees actually "define" Downey and believe it's the trees that make the city a great place to live, residents who actually do live on Lexington Road have to endure the gauntlet of terror caused by these berry-dropping, palm-frond breaking, injury-causing palm trees. I am sure Mr. Hogan Willeford would approve the removal of these now menacing palm trees. Because we remember Hogan Willeford the man, not the palm trees he planted! Please let the remaining and currently living residents have some peace of mind and let the city of Downey maintenance department do their job in removing a safety hazard from our neighborhood. It's the people that make a great city, not the trees. -- Stacey Rodgers, Downey

********** Published: September 9, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 21