Laura Schuman from the city’s Urban Forestry Program (UFP) will be at Little Stacy Pool on Monday, January 11 at 2pm to meet with the neighborhood. She will be explaining and answering questions about trimming the oak tree hanging over the wading pool. All residents are invited to attend. The meeting will be at the wading pool.
The city has long had a problem with the low tree limbs over the wading pool at Little Stacy. In the past, they did the best they could to raise the tree limbs over the pool with minimal pruning. This issue came to a head over this last year when the Health Department raised concerns and would not issue an occupancy permit for the pool if the proper clearance over the water and deck could not be achieved. In addition, they are requiring that the fence be raised to 6′ to prevent after-hours access to the pool.  The city has been working to try to come up with a solution to this that would minimally impact the tree while achieving the safety requirements. Don Gardner, a local Consulting Arborist, was hired to help the UFP determine what pruning could be done without any negative impacts to the tree.  They have worked together to assess the situation and have come up with a plan that they think will improve safety, accommodate a new 6′ fence, and meet the requirements of the Health Department so that the pool can open this summer.
UFP’s Planning and Design group is working on redesigning the fence in order to meet the 6′ requirement. Prior to the fence upgrade, they would like to go ahead and prune the tree this month so they can get the work done before we get into oak wilt season.  The arborist and UFP have agreed they will need to prune a bit more aggressively than they have done in the past, but not to the extent where they feel it will harm the tree.  They know how important this tree and pool are to the community, so they would like to make sure the neighbors know about this upcoming work and are comfortable with their plan. Right now, they are planning on trying to get the work done towards the end of the month.
For more information, contact:
Lara Schuman
Program Manager | Urban Forestry Program
Parks and Recreation Department | City of Austin
512.974.9545 | www.austinurbanforestry.org