A Frond Farewell to School’s Palm Trees
An abundance of palm trees on the Nobel Middle School campus in Northridge has left the school a little bit richer and a little less green.
After a number of tall palm trees began to obstruct views of buildings and caused school administrators to worry about them possibly falling on school buses, Nobel’s Leadership Council voted to sell the trees.
Vice Principal Robert Coburn said the council, composed of parents and teachers, decided to sell some trees to a landscaping company for close to $30,000. Coburn refused to say how many trees were sold.
And although a few neighbors questioned moving the trees, Coburn defended the decision on the grounds of safety.
“It wasn’t just about the money,” Coburn said earlier this week. “Though that influenced the decision, it was more about what they were doing to the campus.”
Los Angeles Unified School District spokesman Shel Erlich said selling the trees was within the guidelines of district policy because the trees were originally donated by a teacher at Nobel.
According to Coburn, the money received from the sale will be placed in Nobel’s account to be used for campus maintenance. In addition to the funds, the landscaping company will donate other plants to Nobel.
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