During Thanksgiving break, Arroyo Grande High School made campus improvements regarding trees that required some maintenance. Lucia Mar Unified School District had safety concerns about the trees in between the 200’s and 300’s wing, and the trees bordering the 800’s/Library area.
The removal of trees on campus is not a decision the school district takes lightly.
“We hate to take out any trees, but in terms of making [campus] a safer spot for staff and students we decided to take [the trees in the 200’s and 800’s wing] out,” Assistant Superintendent, Business Services at Lucia Mar Unified School District Andy Stenson said.
In particular, in the 800’s wings the roots of the trees were getting abnormally large and the concrete, something called lifted concrete hazards. This posed a major concern for AHGS, as kids are prone to trip over lifted concrete.
All of the trees in the 800’s wing weren’t completely removed, only two. Four selected Magnolia trees were heavily trimmed because of the heavy leaf build up. The build up affected gutter back up, worsening the drainage.
Trees in the 200’s wing presented the most safety hazards, due to the concern of dead branches falling. The District did not want to take any chances of dead tree limbs falling possibly on students, so Rick’s Tree Service removed all existing trees.
“Rick’s has done a lot of work for us. They’re not the only ones that have done work for us, just like Hacienda Construction, they do good work and they do it at a fair price,” said Stenson.
Rick’s Tree Service is a trusted company that has done work for AGHS before. Even when working around schools they are extremely careful, making sure to prevent accidents and injuries keeping the school environment safe for students and staff.
AGHS plans to have the same reconstructions as done with the astro turf and benches done in between the 300’s and 400’s wings, but now in the 200’s wing with the now empty land.
The repurposed area with astro turf, benches, and bushes in between the 300’s and 400’s wing, has inspired AGHS to do the same reconstructions to the empty 200’s/300’s lot.
“[We are] looking to rehab that area, between the 200 and 300 wing, similar to the area between the 300 and 400’s wing ,” Stenson said. “That’s proven to be a great spot for students to come and hang out during lunch.”
The 200’s/300’s area with the trees there was usually never occupied, maybe a couple students throughout the day, but never as populated as the 300/400’s wing. AGHS goal is to make a more welcoming campus for students to thrive and enjoy their time learning.
“We talked to Mr. Grumbles, anytime we do something like that we make sure the principal reaches out to people. In this case, it made perfect sense we needed a cleanup,” Stenson said.
While the removal of the trees here on campus may have not been ideal for some members of the school’s community, safety for students and staff was the top priority in the construction here at Arroyo Grande High School. By addressing the hazards of falling branches, lifted concrete, and drainage issues the campus has moved closer to a safer and accessible environment.
