Bike removed from City Park tree, again
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 9 years, 4 months AGO
<p>Shawn Bennett lowers a bike Wednesday from a tree in Coeur d’Alene’s City Park.</p>
A bicycle that continuously reappears in a London Planetree at City Park was again removed by a tree service this week, and the city wants the community to know it will continue to have it removed.
Shawn Bennett, owner of Grace Tree Service, heard about the city having to repeatedly remove the bike from the tree, and contacted the Parks and Recreation Department. He offered to send one of his climbers up to take the bike out of the crown of the tree for free.
The city is appreciative of the amazing work of Grace Tree Service, but is disappointed that it is even necessary, Deputy City Administrator Sam Taylor said in a press release.
“The people doing this think it’s a harmless prank, but having a bike up in a tree is a threat to public safety and potentially damaging to this tree,” Taylor said. “What is occurring is inappropriate, disrespectful to the rest of the community who all own this park together and, frankly, against the law. We wish it would stop. Because we know the bike is there, we have a duty to remove it or we risk liability should something occur to a visitor in the park.”
Taylor reiterated the bike will be removed every time it is placed in the tree.
This is the second time this year a bike has been pulled from the branches.
“Over the last nine years we’ve probably removed it several other times — but we didn’t know it was occurring often. Now that we know it’s going up there frequently, we’re watching for it,” Taylor said, in an email. “Unfortunately, it sounds like we’ll have to utilize taxpayer money because these folks don’t care to stop. They’re also putting it higher and higher to try to prevent us from getting it. Of course, if it falls down that makes it hitting someone all the more dangerous.”
On Wednesday, Devon Braithwaite, Grace Tree Service general manager and a certified arborist, scaled the tree outfitted in complete safety gear and lowered the bike using ropes. The bicycle, an older-style Savannah Huffy, will be turned in to the police department.