Residents Concerned After Trees Removed At City Hall

PRINCE GEORGE- Residents are voicing concerns after they say they didn’t get the proper notification that trees would be removed to make way for downtown construction. Philomena Hughes live streamed the work from City Hall this morning on Facebook to show others what was happening. “I chose to live, not just to take a photograph, because I wanted other people to see what was really going on,” said Hughes,”because it’s a Monday morning, the day after Earth Day, Friday is when the announcement came out and here it is Monday morning and things are happening.” Hughes added it was shocking to see the trees come down, after standing in front of City Hall for decades. She said she’d like the city to consult with the public in the future when deciding to cut down trees. “Yes, they have roots and they have problems, but they still live there… I think we can live together.”

On April 20th, the city announced trees would need to be removed to make way for the construction of a parkade for the new housing development. The spruce trees will be relocated to Duchess Park, while the ash and elm trees will be donated to local organizations such as the Woodturners Guild. The City’s Public Art Committee is also accepting applications from artists to use the trees for products that will be used to fundraise for local charities. The city also said more than 100 trees will be planted with the construction of the housing unit across from City Hall.