Finding a parking spot on busy Carden Street in front of city hall is normally a challenge. It will be much more challenging Monday, as preparatory work is carried out on new tree planting on the street.
Timea Filer, the city’s urban forestry field technologist, was overseeing the work Monday morning. Pylons were blocking most parking spots, and a large suction truck was parked on the street.
Eleven new maple trees will be planted, but first pits previously installed will have to be suctioned out, and a new sump system installed in each one, Filer explained.
The trees that had been planted died, apparently as a result of water-saturated roots.
“There was an issue with the drainage previously when the pits were installed," Filer said. "The trees that were here before had died, and our best guess was that there was too much moisture. They were very saturated and the trees died because of that.”
The sumps are being installed as a way to create drainage for the trees. The sump, or vertical drain is an approximately one-meter deep hole, about 25 centimetres around, that is filled with drainage stones.
“Hopefully we’ll have better conditions for the trees,” she said.
Filer said disruption to parking should be minimal. As the work is carried out on individual tree pits, the parking spaces in front of them will be blocked.
The spaces will open as the work on the pit is completed. Pylons will be shifted as the work progresses down the street.
“As we move from one end of the street to the other we’re going to remove the pylons and open the parking back up,” she said. “It’s not closed for the entire day. We should have the parking opened up by mid-day. There should be very little impact on the parking.”
All businesses along Carden Street were notified of the work. Planting of freeman maple trees is scheduled to happen next Monday.
