Community Corner

Update: Whole Ford Center Tree Comes Down

Public Works employees, an inmate crew, and a contractor had the timber removed by 10:30 a.m.

Updated today

Wednesday night during with the police chief finalists, a brief yet hard storm struck the area, severely damaging a large tree at the entrance to the .

And sometime overnight, everything from about 10 feet up to the top of the tree toppled over, Director Rodger Swaim said.

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"I guess the other half was so weak that it just fell over," he said, adding that it wasn't clear if it was lightning or wind that did the tree in.

Other than blocking off the entrance to the center this morning, the only damage that was done was the tree knocked off the hanging entrance sign to the , Swaim said. The sign, which took a "glancing blow," will probably  be able to be remounted, he added.

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About a half dozen Public Works employees, an inmate crew, and a tree contractor had the part that was still standing removed, the downed section cleared, and the entrance reopened by 10:30 a.m., Swaim said.

Work began this morning at 7:15, he said, noting that working in the dark when the tree fell Wednesday evening could have been dangerous.

"Between all of us, we got it down," he said. "The contractor basically had three big saws that he could cut through the big chunks with." 

The wood that could fit into a chipper will be used as mulch for the city, Swaim said.

The base of the tree had a large rot hole in it (see attached pictures). Swaim believes the rot contributed to the tree falling over.

"We've got a lot of big trees in the city, and for as long as they've been there, they're getting to the point where they're not as stable as they used to be—especially when they get to the size of" the one at the Coach Ford Center, he said.

Reported Wednesday

Sharon Ingersoll was in the living room Wednesday evening during the hard storm that passed through the area when she heard a loud lightning strike.

“I screamed, the dog started barking, and the neighbors walked up and told me the tree was down,” said the 53-year-old Powder Springs resident as she was walking her dog near her house across from the .

The tree she’s referring to is a large one that stands at the entrance to the center on Atlanta Street. A large portion of the tree was downed by the storm and laid across the entrance Wednesday night. It was still partially connected perhaps 10 to 20 feet up the tree.

The lightning strike could be heard loudly from the Coach Ford Center’s during a public meet-and-greet with the three candidates for the open police chief position. It wasn’t clear if the strike was responsible for the downed portion, but the damage made it appear as if it was because of the lightning.

The downed portion was taped off with yellow police tape.

The city’s interim police chief, Maj. Tom Arnold, arrived to see the tree after the meet-and-greet.

“I just wanted to see how big it was,” he said. “I had my chainsaw in the truck because we were cutting some limbs at the new (). … I thought, ‘Well I’ll go look at it.’" 

Arnold said had been notified but would probably not be able to do anything Wednesday night because it was starting to get dark, which would make work dangerous.

He said Public Works may not have equipment that can handle the large tree, and the city might have to contact a tree service.

The forecast from the National Weather Service shows periodic chances for showers and thunderstorms through Saturday.


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