The motto is, “plant a tree – or any plant – as if grown.”
With that in mind, who the heck decided and approved spending taxpayers’ hard-earned money on so many trees at the public buildings on Empire and Mildred?
There are about 15 trees on the west alone at the first building, pine trees and others close to fences and so close to each other on six five-foot wide humps. Humps? I can’t believe it. No wonder there’s millions of dollars of deficits – too much waste.
Where are the roots supposed to go? One tree needs, when grown, 12 feet of space, as wide as the lower limbs for stance. Trees are not potted plants.
Notice the pine trees at the Dolores Fire Station; why didn’t they just plant them at the level of the ground? And at our new high school ... like it’s Phoenix in the summer during our winter months? Solar heat and light are useful and cheerful in the winter. And the scenery is wonderful in Cortez, especially from three sides of the high school: a living picture. Who wants to look at that many trees?
When those trees are fully grown they will block off the sight of the buildings. And no solar heat or sunshine in – nine months of our winters?
Planting trees along the east end of Main, turning north, blocks our great view of the La Plata Mountains. It’s bad enough to have that monster hotel. City of Cortez, buy that triangle before more of our scenery is blocked out!
Molly Warren (72-year resident)
Cortez