School district votes to keep trees around baseball field, at least for now

The Laguna Beach Unified School District board Tuesday night rescinded an earlier decision to remove 28 eucalyptus trees surrounding the high school baseball field.

Neighbors have complained that they are a fire hazard and could block coveted views of the ocean and surrounding hillsides.

Trustees unanimously voted to keep the trees, which are planted on a slope that runs along St. Ann’s Drive and Wilson Street, at least until the district decides whether to reconfigure the field at Laguna Beach High School or add retractable fencing to limit the number of baseballs landing close to houses and cars on those streets.

In May, the board voted 3 to 1 to remove 10 lemon-scented gum and 18 red-flowering eucalyptus trees after hearing from residents, who also said eucalyptus branches occasionally break off in large pieces and could harm pedestrians or damage cars.

The eucalyptuses were among 80 trees, along with groundcover and succulents, planted along the slope last fall.

The district hired landscape architect Ann Christoph last August to develop a planting plan for the slope, but residents were upset that Christoph did not initially get their feedback on the proposed trees.

They cited a 2004 board-approved list of promises that include having landscaping surrounding the field be “based on input received from neighbors,” according to a copy obtained by the Coastline Pilot.

“The existing and future landscaping shall be maintained in a manner that maximizes the views from adjoining properties,” the list says.

Lemon-scented gums can grow 90 feet high, and red-flowering gums can reach 45 feet. Ten coast live oaks, which can grow 70 feet high, are also planted on the slope.

Christoph said Walt Eden, the district’s interim facilities director at the time she was hired, told her not to speak with residents but have them send any questions about the project to the district office.

She has said she was trying to beautify a neglected area plagued by overgrown and dead brush that reportedly created havens for coyotes and rodents.

Board President Ketta Brown, who voted to remove the trees in May, changed her stance after learning of Eden’s approach.

“I had no clue Walt had told [Christoph] not to speak to neighbors,” Brown said. “That’s absurd.”

The board did not direct Eden to handle public inquiries in that matter, Trustee Jan Vickers added.

Current Facilities Director Jeff Dixon was hired in late October, after the trees were planted.

“I understand people are nervous about [fires],” said Brown, whose house was destroyed in the 1993 Laguna fire. “I trusted what I was told.”

Fans of leaving the trees where they are said the hillside looks better than it has in years, and they worry that removal would create bare areas that could be susceptible to mudslides during heavy rains.

If taken care of and properly laced, eucalyptus trees can be assets, not liabilities, said landscape architect Bob Borthwick, a 41-year Laguna Beach resident.

Borthwick said he works with county and city fire departments throughout the state on suggested plantings, including Los Angeles County authorities.

Lemon-scented gums are among L.A. County’s approved plants because they require low to moderate amounts of water and produce flowers that attract birds and butterflies.

It would cost the district $700 to remove the eucalyptus trees, but resident Patricia Cooper said upkeep costs could exceed that amount.

“I don’t want to see taxpayer dollars used to maintain the trees,” Cooper said.

A district-hired architect is developing options and estimating costs for reconfiguring the field and raising fence heights in certain sections, as well as determining the possible affect on the slope.

Dixon said he hopes to bring scenarios to the board by the end of the summer.