First Street ‘Christmas tree’ to be replaced Thursday

Something missing here? After years of deteriorating health, the tree at the end of First Street has been removed and will be replaced by a new Carolina sapphire cypress. The new tree is scheduled to go in on Thursday. (Photo by Nick Sestanovich)

Lately, Benicians who walk down to the end of First Street might have noticed something missing: the giant tree in the center of the turnaround at the end of the road. It is the same tree that is lit up for the holidays for the town’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting at the beginning of December, and the same one that countless families have posed in front of for Christmas cards and other photo-ops. Residents have wondered where this tree could have gone. Could the Grinch perhaps decided to have stolen Christmas a little early this year?

Actually, the old tree was in very poor health and will be replaced by a new one, according to Rick Knight, the superintendent of the Parks and Community Services Department.

“It had fallen over a few years ago, and someone had tried to pull it back up,” he said. “It was kind of crooked, and it had damaged the roots system at that time, and the tree didn’t ever fully recover.”

Knight said the city had been looking to remove it for the past few years, but other priorities have gotten in the way.

The tree was put in place following a repaving of the foot of First Street in the early ‘90s. It continued to be a popular attraction every year— especially around Christmas— but took a downturn after its fall from a storm several years ago. The tree had especially taken a hit during the California drought, but Knight said its health improved a little following an increase in rain last year.

“It started to come back a little bit for the annual tree lighting, but that was gonna be the last one,” he said.

Part of the reason the city had not replaced the tree earlier was that it had not found the best method to remove it or the best tree to replace it.

“We finally found a good tree and a relatively easy way to install it,” Knight said.

The new tree is set to be installed Thursday. It is an approximately 20-feet tall Carolina sapphire cypress, which will be shipped in from Los Gatos by the Morgan Hill-based company Mighty Tree Movers. Additionally, the bollards around the tree will be removed, a new drip irrigation system will be set up and California-friendly landscaping will be added.

The replacement of the tree will not be the only change to the bottom of First Street. In May, City Council approved a contract with Hercules-based company HM Construction to replace the railing along the promenade area by the water. The railings were removed the week of July 4, and new stainless steel railings will be added. The project was funded by Measure C, a revenue initiative that set aside $4 million for projects aimed at improving life for Benicians, and is expected to be completed by November.

Knight believes people will respond well to the new tree.

“People have been walking around downtown asking questions,” he said. “They seem to be excited about it.”