Saving Winter Park trees

What really astounds me is there are several 36-inch huge heritage live oaks, “the wedding trees,” growing where land once owned by more than 110 African American families was taken by eminent domain by the City of Winter Park in pre-segregation 1955, for Martin Luther King Park. (“State questions Winter Park over grant,” Feb. 13).

It was taken “for park and recreation purpose only,” not a for a huge-squarefootage civic complex that is displacing our parkland trees and passive park green space, where people re-create themselves, including Hannibal Square neighborhood residents and others. That giant civic complex could easily have gone to several other more urban city sites, instead of upon our beautiful parkland! Yes, it was a beautiful site; of course, it’s a well-designed park!

Those giant live oak trees are the same ones the Florida Department of Environmental Protection funded, which are now getting mature. Our tax dollars funded those trees, soon to be chainsawed and turned into mulch. How can we allow this uncaring city leadership to sanction the chainsawing of those 60 heritage live oaks, bald cypress, pines and sensitive habitat and replace them with 3 1⁄2-inch caliper trees in this urbanized metro area of over 2 million people?

Perhaps even worse than the giant live oaks is the taking of the scenic parkland for concrete and steel buildings. Every square foot of public parkland is precious.

Where are Winter Park’s visionary leaders?

Forest Michael Winter Park The author is the former chair of the Florida Greenways Commission’s Central Florida Greenways Task Force.