The fate of the four mature Evergreen Ash trees in Boonah’s main street is decided - three are to be saved and one is to be destroyed.
The decision will mean the loss of one carpark as opposed to the loss of three, as carparks were named as a priority requirement by Council officers in a review of feedback from community consultations.
The tree to be destroyed stands in front of Glen’s Diner.
The decision was made at the Scenic Rim Regional Council meeting on Monday after Councillors queried General Manager, Chris Gray, about the report on the options faced should a decision be made to retain the trees.
Two different options were offered for the retention of the Evergreen Ash on the southern side and on the northern side of the twin pedestrian crossings in front of the supermarket.
But the conclusion offered by the review was that all four trees should be removed.
The fate of the trees seesawed in the lead up to the vote.
A move to hold the discussion in closed session as some of the matters would involve Budget expenditure, was defeated following an argument against it by Cr Derek Swanborough.
Much of the discussion which ensued related to the cost of retaining the trees. The big ticket item was the inclusion of a Gross Pollutant Trap in the stormwater drainage to capture any seeds washed off the street during rain events.
This was costed at $100,000 for the installation of the trap plus an anticipated annual cost of $10,000 to clean the trap.
And Mr Gray noted that the annual cost could increase dependent on the amount of rubbish such as plastics that may also accumulate in the trap.
The other cost of concern was the moving of the power pole outside the Boonah Post Office if the trees on the southern side should remain as it would impede the sight lines at the pedestrian crossing.
In the agenda, it was noted that the cost would be $35,000, however, Mr Gray quoted a figure of $50,000 during the Council discussion.
And on further querying by Cr Duncan McInnes, he agreed that it could be done without holding up the rest of the project.
No costings had been done on savings should the trees remain in place but on questioning by Cr Swanborough, Mr Gray said it would be reasonable to assume that the costs would be the same as replacing the trees.
And on further questioning, he said the intent of the project would not be lost should the trees remain.
On the matter of the invasive weed label, Cr Jeff McConnell asked whether there were any locations in the Scenic Rim where there was evidence of a proliferation of the Evergreen Ash?
Mr Gray said he was not personally aware of any location where this had happened.
“The Scenic Rim is a diverse area,” said Cr McInnes, “just because a tree may be a pest at Canungra does not mean they are a pest here, as it is a much drier area.”
But Mayor Greg Christensen argued that he had two personal communications from people saying there had been issues with the trees.
Invasive species in general also came under the spotlight with Cr Swanborough picking up on a comment that Mr Gray made and asked about the future of other trees judged to be an invasive weed that are growing in public places in the Scenic Rim.
The response, in summary, was that if an area was under development and there were trees of that nature in the area, it would be likely that they would be removed.
When the opportunity arose, Cr Jeff McConnell, told Councillors of a straw poll he had conducted in Boonah in the hour before the meeting started.
He said that once he had explained that the trees would be replaced with native species, 30 of the 40 people agreed the trees should go.
Later, Cr McInnes said that there is no doubt that the issue of the removal of the trees was divisive in the community but Council could not ignore the biggest petition that had been tabled in his time.
He recommended that the Gross Pollutant Trap be installed for the sake of healthier waterways.
“It would be a good thing to install in our main towns.
“And it annoys people if we remove carparks” and as such he recommended that Council remove the tree outside Glen’s Diner and retain the other three.
“We can’t ignore the petition,” Cr McInnes said.
Cr Michael Enright moved and Cr McInnes seconded that in both cases Option B (see below for details) be the choice for the fate of the trees. The motion was won - 5 to 2.
Cr Jeff McConnell voted against it and indicated that he didn’t believe the ratepayers would be happy to spend $100,000 plus on saving the trees.
Cr Derek Swanborough also voted against the motion saying that he believed that all four trees should remain and that the expense of the Gross Pollutant Trap should not be linked to the project.
