Three large oak trees at the Derby High School courtyard have been removed because their rotted branches were a public safety concern, according to Derby Superintendent of Schools Stephen Tracy.
The Board of Education now plans to replant three smaller locust trees and flowers, and eventually add benches to the area.
The Board of Education — in a 4 – 2 vote Tuesday — approved planting the new trees, according to Board of Education chairman Ken Marcucio.
Marcucio and board member Christine Robinson were the two dissenting votes.
“I voted against it because I wanted to straighten out the cement area first,” Marcucio said Wednesday. “That’s my main concern.”
The three oak trees shaded the main entrance and a cement courtyard near the front door of the high school. They had been in place since the school was built in the 1960s and was often the backdrop for photos at graduation time.
But the district was concerned about rotting limbs and roots shifting the cement, Tracy said.
So the district had the trees inspected by Bellettie Tree Service in November, and then again in June.
In a letter to the district, Joseph Bellettie Sr. recommended the trees be removed because of rotting, and because the trees were cracking the pavement along the courtyard sidewalk.
“Several branches were so rotted they posed a safety hazard,” the letter read.
The trees were removed in July, Tracy said.
The removal upset some members of the Board of Education, who had not been informed of the plans before the trees were cut down.
“It probably should have come to us before they did it,” Marcucio said. “Just so we would know before hand.”
Tracy Tuesday said he probably should have brought the move before the board.
“I think some people were surprised that they came down without some notice,” Tracy said. “Probably some members of the school board should have been notified.”
Marcucio said the district paid $1,500 to remove the old trees and purchase the new ones. He said the district is going to try to repair shifted cement at the site. Replacing the cement would cost too much, so the district wants to try to fix it first, Marcucio said.
New Derby High School Principal Gregory Gaillard said he hopes to have the senior class raise money to buy new picnic tables for the courtyard area. He hopes to have new grass and flowers planted, and allow some seniors to eat their lunch outside on nice days.
“It will be a face lift,” Gaillard said.
