Hartwig reveals why large leopard trees in CBD have to go

A stoush is brewing between Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig and the Chamber of Commerce president over the fate of two 30-year-old leopard trees in the main shopping precinct.

Mary Street’s popular and iconic leopard trees are unlikely to be given a stay of execution with Mayor Glen Hartwig saying they “have to be replaced” in the name of public safety.

The planned removal of the main street’s iconic trees has been met with community backlash after it was revealed Gympie Regional Council intended to remove and replace two of them.

The trees were planted as part of a former Gympie council’s efforts to beautify and cool the street.

Business owners including Chamber of Commerce president Tony Goodman have called for a moratorium on the decision to explore other options.

Mr Goodman said he was aware of discussion around removing trees either dead or dying but “these are two beautiful, healthy trees”.

Mr Hartwig was “not sure what other options there are”.

“The pods create a safety issue, the trees are so large because of lack of maintenance that they are disrupting the pavement and the guttering and breaking the guttering, and just have to be replaced,” he said.

Two popular Mary St trees are unlikely to be given a stay of execution from the council, which plans to replace them on health and safety grounds.

“They are like a worn out tyre on a car.

“You just have to replace them.”

It was not viable to keep the trees while undertaking work to address the problem, Mr Hartwig said.

The roots had become entangled with telecommunication lines, water and sewerage pipes, and stormwater drains.

“That is now matted in with a large amount of tree roots.

“I’m not sure how anyone can actually lift up the pavement and deal with those issues and actually make sure the tree remains alive and stable.”

The safety risks were not new, he said.

Gympie Chamber of Commerce president Tony Goodman has called for a moratorium on the decision to remove the trees, and says there must be a way to address the problem without going to such lengths.

In 2006, Cooloola Shire councillors voted to remove two leopard trees after council staff reported they were “causing damage to the surrounding pavers” from in front of the King Kong store and the Mambo Cafe.

Eight trees were subsequently replaced between 2007 and 2010.

In 2010, Gympie councillors, including Donna Neilson and Ian Petersen, supported replacing more trees along the length of the street after retailers raised concerns about the state of the surrounding pavers and the trees’ impact on the road.

Mr Hartwig said the plan reared its head once more last term.

“About three years ago a similar discussion was had and a reprieve was given until after the Winter Trees on Mary, but once again council never followed through,” he said.

The council plans to replace a number of trees along the length of the main street of Gympie as part of the long term program.

“We are a council that has the courage to deal with the issue.”

Business owners along the street had voiced their own concerns about the trees with him and many had themselves “slipped over on the pods or tripped over on the uneven pavements and they don’t want that scenario being something their clients are subjected to,” Mr Hartwig said.

They supported the plan to remove and replace the trees, he said.

“Everyone accepts they are the wrong type of tree for that location and that council should have done something about it 10-15 years ago.

“They will be replaced with beautiful trees that maintain the majesty of the main street and having a program that spans out over a number of years allows this leafy … street to continue with its appeal.

“The arborist inspects all our trees (on things including safety and growth) and works with infrastructure services staff to determine which ones need to be pruned.

“You have to start somewhere.”