SR paves over tree holes -- for now

Frustrated by repeated acts of vandalism, city of Santa Rosa employees have retreated from their efforts to plant trees along a well-traveled block near Old Courthouse Square.

Public works employees on Tuesday paved over seven holes on the west side of Mendocino Avenue between Fourth and Fifth streets.

For six years, the city has attempted to grow maple trees along the sidewalk for shade and scenery. But a vandal or vandals have snapped almost every one of those attempts.

"It hurts to see something that can grow and beautify the whole area be destroyed time and time again," said Lisa Grant, the city's parks superintendent. "It's very frustrating."

The city removed aging honey locust trees on the block in 2001 and replaced them with red maple trees, which are also known as October maples because their leaves turn crimson red in the fall.

The maples were bought in early winter and nurtured in 15 gallon containers until the root structure developed enough for the trees to be planted along the street.

The process was time consuming and expensive.

Grant did not have access to complete records Tuesday, but she said the maples on Mendocino between Fourth and Fifth have been replaced at least five times since March 2005.

At a cost of $125 for each tree, that adds up to roughly $3,000.

"At this point, we're wasting taxpayer money," Grant said.

The city was finally forced to concede temporary defeat this week after someone tripped on a metal grate that supported tree guards employees had installed to try and protect the maples.

Vandals moved the grate over the weekend. The fall victim, whose condition was not immediately available Tuesday, contacted the city's risk management department, which in turn led to calls to parks.

The most frustrating part -- the city employee who normally checked the grates every Monday morning, and who may have been able to prevent the fall, is on vacation this week, according to Grant.

She said the paving is only temporary and that the city will attempt another planting in the spring, this time using more mature maples with thicker trunks.

What no one can figure out is why someone would continually tear down trees on the west side of the road, while across the street, six maples that were planted at virtually the same time are flourishing, and are now about 30 feet tall.

The trees are growing outside the five-story Rosenberg Building, which has 77 one-room apartments for low-income housing.

Grant said a woman who lives at Rosenberg called her to report that the person who is responsible for snapping the fledgling trees lives in the building.

However, apartment managers on Tuesday said they'd not been informed of that allegation, and the woman did not leave her name with Grant.

Others have speculated that the vandalism is the work of bar-goers in the downtown area.

Santa Rosa police Sgt. Eric Litchfield's professional opinion is that these are not random acts.

"This is someone who's got a vendetta for trees on that side of the street," he said.

Litchfield said some options to combat the vandalism include the installation of security cameras or assigning a police officer to watch the area.

But those options require money and time, not to mention devoting resources away from other, more pressing concerns.

Nevertheless, Grant said she is confident the city will eventually prevail over the tree bandit.

"I do have hope the trees will make it there," she said. "Over time, we will persevere."

You can reach Staff Writer Derek J. Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.

com.