Last Chance to Save Beautiful Western Red Cedar Next to Idylwood Park

EMERGENCY ALERT –

LAST CHANCE TO SAVEBEAUTIFUL, MASSIVE

WESTERN RED CEDAR

NEXT TO IDYLWOOD PARK

PROTEST TO FAIRWEATHER BOARD

VIGIL SUNDAY AUGUST 13 @ 4 PM

If you have ever been to Idylwood Park in Redmond, then you have probably seen this wonderful tree (on the left in the photo) on the northern edge of the park along with its companion fir trees. Unless you and other Eastside residents ACT NOW, you won’t be seeing this 85-year-old Western red cedar much longer.

The tree’s “crime” is being on the wrong side of the fence separating Fairweather Condominiums from the park, unlike the fir trees on the park side. A succession of Fairweather residents has been able to live in harmony with this tree since 1978 when the complex’s developers wisely preserved it (and many other beautiful Pacific Northwest trees) during construction. But now one current resident wants to take down this tree in order to build a patio.

The Fairweather Home Owner Association (HOA) Board supports this plan, since it aligns with its effort to pursue an aesthetic we call “Southern California office park”. Whatever you call it, the look is an affront to the Pacific Northwest forest environment.

When the patio plan first came to light, provoking community outrage, an alternative rationale for destroying the tree had to be concocted. The HOA Board settled on the justification that the tree’s roots supposedly threaten the building structure. This assertion has been thoroughly debunked by one of Seattle’s most highly respected arborists, but that’s the Board members’ story and they are sticking to it.

We have waged a prolonged and costly legal battle to save the tree. But a court ruling basically threw the issue back to the community where the Board has the authority to make the decision.

A majority of Fairweather residents, in defiance of the Board, has signed a call for a special meeting to consider the fate of the tree. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 PM Monday evening, August 14th. Even if the majority of Fairweather owners vote to save the tree, as we expect, this Board may very well ignore the will of the people and instead vote their predilection to destroy the tree.

The only factor that may sway the Board to reconsider is another round of disapproval from the broader community. Thus, we urge you to email the Fairweather business manager TODAY to tell the Board you object to the tree being taken down:

Karen Williams, <kwilliams@condohoa.net>

We will be holding a vigil on Sunday afternoon, August 13th beginning at 4 PM in front of the tree on the park side. Perhaps the power of numbers of people standing in reverence before the tree, matched with volumes of email, will deter the Board. Or it may simply be your last opportunity to see the tree. Because UNLESS OUTSIDE PRESSURE IS BROUGHT TO BEAR ON THE FAIRWEATHER BOARD, we suspect a scheme is already in the works to have the tree removed by Tuesday evening, August 15th.