Dear Editor,I am writing in rebuttal to "Trees and their History" written by Larry Latimer of Downey and printed in the Patriot on Sept. 16. First I would like to say that I personally read Larry's book "Images of America, Downey." And I enjoyed it very much. In response to Larry's remark, "Should we rip out all of the beautiful and historic trees in Downey?" I am not asking for all the trees to be removed. Only the ones that are pulling up the sidewalks, causing problems with their roots, destroying pipes, and if they cause injury to people, cars, and housing, then yes! The city of Downey spends a great deal of budget money each year caring for the trees of Downey. They also spend a great deal of money repairing sidewalks, and such. If a particular tree is a hazard, then it should be removed This is a true statement; "There can be no future without a past." And on the other hand, if you save anything long enough, eventually it's historic or pre-historic. Did you know that insurance companies charge more for property insurance when very large trees are located on the property? Trees that exceed the building heights by two or three times are a hazard and premiums are charged accordingly to home-owners. Also, were you aware that Public Works was notified by the party who broke her foot and twisted her ankle? She wrote them a letter. And were you aware that I am the president of our Town-home Association and the homeowners asked me to please have these trees removed? The lady who broke her foot and twisted her ankle has to walk on the sidewalk where these palm trees shed their berries and branches every day to get to her mailbox, there is no way around it. And the homeowners are scared to death that someday the wind will bring one of these gigantic palm trees down on top of their home and who will suffer? Not Larry Latimer who lives in North Downey, at least maybe not, unless he is walking down Downey Avenue and crossing Lexington Road at the time it happens. And we do have a weekly gardening service and they charge us a fortune to have this done every week! Yet, sometimes it still is not enough during the palm-tree seasonal dropping time. Maybe you would like to donate your time to come and sweep our side-walks everyday? Like one of our original residents does. Daily she will sweep the side-walk everyday during this season because she is trying to prevent any more accidents or harm to her property. I understand the history of Downey is important to keep alive, but so are the citizens. Don't they deserve to feel safe in their own homes? About Mr.Hogan Willeford and J.I. Boheim, who opened the Orange Manor Tract in 1921; they had to remove trees in order to build, so why is this fact being over-looked? The fact of the matter is, trees were removed in order to grow Downey to the size it is today. Innocent trees were killed and chopped down because housing and businesses were being built. I truly don't think we should try to imagine a Downey without trees either. Trees provide shade, oxygen, and beauty to our city; so I doubt they will ever all be removed. However, trees that have caused damage and will continue to cause more damage should by all means either be trimmed up or removed. And I don't think it's selfish of me to want to protect my life, my home, my property investment, my cars, and the same for my neighbors from a hazardous tree. You can disagree with my opinion; however I am still only stating the facts. -- Stacey Rodgers, Downey

********** Published: October 7, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 25