Tree’s Remains Have Council Stumped

Port Hueneme’s “Grandpa” tree may be gone, but discussion over its legacy--a 20-inch high stump--lives on.

The City Council decided Wednesday that the remnant of the 375-year-old Monterey cypress removed from Market Street earlier this week must also go because of extensive rot.

“They can’t stop the decay of it, so they’ve determined they can’t leave it there,” City Clerk Karen Jackson said. “They want to memorialize it; they just don’t know how yet.”

After a two-hour discussion that included a plea by an informal Save the Stump Committee, the council voted 3 to 2 to research three options:

First, city staff will find out how much it would cost to remove the stump and replace it with new landscaping and a portion of the street that was removed several years ago in an effort to save the then-dying tree.

Second, city officials will get a quote from an artist on the cost of making a sculpture from the stump. And finally, staff members will investigate how much an architectural monument to the landmark tree would cost.

Councilmen Bob Turner and Tony Volante voted against the proposal, saying no more time and money should be spent on the issue.