Saratoga News Saratoga Stereopticon Willys Peck Age-old arguments take aim at age-old trees News item: "Saratoga Union School District trustees have voted 4 to 1 to remove the eucalyptus trees from the Oak Street school grounds. The board's decision was based on two factors: the space occupied by the trees is needed as playground area and, almost equally important, the trees pose a potential hazard that could expose the district to liability for injuries cause by falling limbs. "Opponents of the removal argued that, in the 75-year history of the original portion of the school, during which time the trees were there, no such injury is known to have occurred." For a little psychological, though not necessarily historical, perspective, let us go back in time to 1919, when a coalition of prominent Saratoga citizens had persuaded the Peninsular Railway to move its interurban station from what is now the middle of the downtown intersection to the site of the present Village Post Office. The plan was to create an attractive plaza with, as its dominant feature, a handsome arch commemorating Saratogans who died in service during World War I. The following dialogue is between two imaginary Saratoga residents, Prometheus and Constantine, identified here as Pro and Con. Pro: (Spreading architectural drawings out on a table) Look at this, a memorial arch, trees, benches--just what we need to dress up the downtown. Con: That arch, is it going to be as big as it looks on this drawing? Pro: Isn't it beautiful? It's being designed by Bruce Porter, a famous landscape architect. We're lucky to have him do it. Con: It looks too big. Must be about 30 feet high. Pro: So? Con: Haven't you heard about earthquakes? Don't you know how close we are to the San Andreas fault? Have you forgotten 1906? People standing near that arch could get killed during a quake. And what's that thing at the base? Pro: Uh, well, that's a pond. We plan to have goldfish in the pond. Con: Are you out of your ever-lovin' mind? A body of open water in a public park? Mark my words, if you build that, some morning you're going to come down here and find a body floating on that pond. Pro: But it isn't that big. It's not even two feet deep. Con: Size has nothing to do with it. You could drown in your own bathtub. By the way, what's this arch all about, anyway? Pro: It's a memorial for the six Saratoga boys who didn't come home from the war. And it's for all the others who died in service. It's a really a beautiful piece of architecture. Con: Hmph! Morbid. Things like that should be in cemeteries, not parks. Say, what are those things drawn in here? Pro: Oh, that's where we're going to plant Italian stone pine trees. They're very picturesque and should do well in our Mediterranean climate. Con: You're planting ... trees? Pro: Why, yes, all parks have trees. These are especially attractive, with a unique shape. They're beautiful. Con: Do they get big? Pro: Well, we certainly hope so. Con: Do you know what can happen with trees that get big? They can blow over and fall on people, and, well, you're not planning a park here, you're planning one big attractive nuisance, and that can get a lot of people in big financial trouble. Now, almost 80 years later, Con's concerns have been mostly dealt with. It's been several decades since the pond at the base of the arch has held any water, let alone goldfish, although it once had both. For many years it was just an empty receptacle until, in recent times, it was filled with dirt as a planter box. The arch itself, through a well-meant civic effort, has been painted yellow and white to blend with its surroundings so there is little chance of it being taken for a memorial. The Italian stone pines are still there, one of them propped up with 12-by-12-inch posts to keep it off passing traffic. Eat your heart out, Con, those trees are part of Saratoga. So are some other trees just up the hill that are ticketed for the old chain-saw treatment. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, October 28, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.