Less than a week after the City celebrated the centennial of the laying of the Court House cornerstone, almost all of the remaining historic maples that once graced its lawn have been cut down. Contractors destroyed three of the trees — here's a close up of one of them — on Monday. The City began removing the ancient trees two years ago because they were believed to be rotten at the core. At the time the City said it would replace the trees. So far none have been replaced. David F. Rooney photoHere's a view along the edge of the lawn showing the remains of the other two trees that were destroyed on Monday. Revelstoke Museum Curator Cathy Engliish said she had been "talking to Laurel Corrigan (of the City's Engineering and Public Works Department) about the Court House trees. Unfortunately, the ones that came down had been badly pruned by BC Hydro because of their proximity to the power lines. They were compromised to the point that they had to come down. There are about two large ones at the back that should last for at least a few more years. We are planning to do a ceremonial replanting during Homecoming in 2014, which is the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I. We are also talking about some interpretive signage so that people will know the significance of the trees." David F. Rooney photo
