A 60-year-old hedge in the Old Orchard area was cut back to its trunk 鈥� and other hedge owners could be next, according to the City of Courtenay.
"We're going to trim it back right to the trunk to make it safe," John Ward, City manager of corporate administration, said Wednesday.
Ward said the hedge created a safety concern for people using the sidewalk, and after a drastic cutback, it was very unsafe.
He said there are other hedges in the area infringing on sidewalk safety, and the City will contact these homeowners soon.
"They're going to be dealt with systematically," said Ward. "We try to deal with everyone consistently."
Hedge owner Nicole Larocque bought her house on Harmston Avenue 13 years ago. She maintains the six-decade-old hedge regularly, hiring an arborist to trim it once per year in the spring or fall.
However, during the summer, the City received a complaint from an area resident, and told her the hedge infracted on a bylaw because it was coming out onto the sidewalk in front of her house.
Larocque told the City she would have it cut back in the fall when the weather cooled, as cutting it in hot weather would be hard on it, but she said she was pestered until she cut it.
"Even though I told them (City bylaw enforcement) that, they still wouldn't leave me alone," said Larocque. "I had it cut in the fall like I said I was going to and they still bugged me about it all summer."
But, after the hedge was cut back in the fall, bylaw officers came by Larocque's home again.
"They said, 'It's not good enough,' and I tried to dispute it; I tried to save the hedge," said Larocque.
She said bylaw officers phoned or came by her residence once every week or two asking her when she would cut the hedge back again.
Just before Christmas, she called Mayor Larry Jangula to see if he could help. He personally came and looked at the hedge on two occasions, and said he felt badly about her situation.
"She didn't plant the hedge. It's not her that caused the problem. It's been there for years and it's just recently come to light," said Jangula, adding that it looks like it's maintained regularly. "This is not someone who's got some neglected jungle."
However, he said the hedge was not only breaking a bylaw by covering part of the sidewalk, it was fully on City property.
Larocque said some neighbours told her they liked the hedge, and some told her they didn't. She walked around the neighbourhood over the past weekend and acquired 22 signatures in support of keeping the hedge.
But she said the stress was too much, and on Monday she had it cut back drastically by her arborist.
"I just decided I can't do it anymore, and finally just cut it all back," said Larocque. "It might live, it might not live, I don't know."
Larocque said her arborist told her cutting the hedge back further would likely kill it.
She hasn't received an invoice yet, but said that normal trimming costs about $300, so this major cut probably cost significantly more.
But, after the cutback, the hedge was considered dangerous by Larocque and the City because sawed-off branches line the sidewalk.
"The way it is right now is dangerous," said Laroque. "There's pointy branches sticking out so somebody could actually impale themselves."
On Thursday morning Larocque was having a nap, and when she came outside afterwards, she saw the hedge had been cut back to the trunk.
"They've cut it all the way back now," said Larocque. "It's not even going to have a chance to grow. It's going to probably die."
Ward said cutting it back to the trunk shouldn't kill the hedge.
"At this point, it's unlikely that she will be charged for it," said Ward, pointing out that the hedge is fully on City property instead of private.
writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com
