Congratulations to the Historic Highlandlake community

Congratulations are in order to the Historic Highlandlake folks for winning a historical preservation award with their effort to save and restore their church:


They'll accept the award next month (February 2009). More about Highlandlake is here.

They look nice now but ...

Two examples of problematic cottonwood trees lining residential streets, both in the Longmont Prospect neighborhood.

Confidence Street:


Tenacity Drive:


I'll go out on a limb (pun intended!) and suggest that these trees were used here because they were available from the tree farm that used to occupy the Prospect site.

Longmont Then and Now #10: City Hall

The old City Hall building, along with it's neighboring City Warehouse building (home of the old museum), was recently re-opened as the new Development Services Center; sort of a one-stop shopping place for all of your contracting/licensing/permit/planning needs within the city.

Here's a picture of City Hall from the 1940s:

Notice that there was a parking area between the two buildings back then. This building was first occupied by the city in February, 1922 and had a diverse group of initial occupants, including:

• The City Clerk, of course
• The Boulder County Fair Association
• The Commercial Association (perhaps an early Chamber of Commerce?)
• The Farm Bureau
• The Boys and Girls Club administrator
  

Pictures from a cold, windy March 2, 2008:


The polished granite City Hall corner stone laid on a Monday afternoon, June 20, 1921 and observed by hundreds of people and accompanied by a musical band. A rain shower almost prevented the ceremony but the sun quickly came out. The inscription:

Laid by the M. W. Grand Lodge A. F. and A. M. of Colorado, June 20, 1921. A. L. 5921.

A copy of the extended ceremony address by ex-Mayor Rae Kitely (Mrs. Rae Kitely would eventually become the City Librarian in 1926) was placed inside the corner stone and should still be encased here:


Close up of the arch, along 4th Avenue:


The combined buildings, from the Kimbark Street persective.
A summary of the informal "Longmont: Then and Now" series so far:

• #1; Farmers National Bank
• #2: Main Street Looking North
• #3: Main Street, 1915
• #4: Coffman Street, 1909
• #5: The Imperial Hotel and Main Street, 1909
• #6: Main Street, mid-1960s
• #7: Odd Fellows Building, 1907-2007
• #8: Longmont Public Library
• #9: Longmont Hospital

This year's crop

This year's pumpkin crop. The 2007 garden report card:

• Lumina ("ghost") white pumpkins: A
• Regular pumpkins: C-
  
• Tomatoes: B

Not sure why the regular pumpkins didn't turn out that well this year. I saw plenty of honey bees around all summer, so I can't blame it on that.

Cottonwoods are lousy residential trees

Another dead Plains Cottonwood comes down in the neighborhood, this being the fifth one this year in the vicinity. There are many reasons they are probably planted in residential areas on the Colorado Front Range:

• They grow fast. In our semi-arid climate with a short growing season, they seem like a reasonable choice for those wanting trees quickly.
  
• They are great shade trees when mature, providing relief from our hot summers and perhaps lowering some utility bills.
  
• They are native to the area. The pioneers reported that these were the only trees they usually saw on the high plains, always growing next to creeks and rivers. It was a common ritual for homesteaders to periodically gather Cottonwood seedlings from nearby creeks and plant them near their houses, for shade, beauty, and to serve as windbreaks.
  

Ultimately, however, they are a time bomb for homeowners, waiting to go off in twenty to thirty years, fifty if you're lucky. They are deceptively weak trees when alive and worse, of course, when they're dying. As tall and wide as they grow, you're looking at a $2000-$3000 bill to get rid of a mature one by a tree company. Leaving a dead cottonwood standing is not usually an option because of the risk to people and property in the area, when it falls down. On a sample tree life span of 25 years in residential yards (they live a lot longer in their native settings) and a $2500 removal fee, ask yourself if it's worth $100 a year for your Cottonwood(s). Moreover, if you're buying a house with Cottonwoods already in the yard, especially mature ones, factor in the cost of removing them down the road as part of your home ownership costs, perhaps using this cost in your negotiations.

A mature Cottonwood, still doing well:




This is not an anti-Cottonwood rant. They are beautiful trees and are an important part of the West. They probably fit in better in their native habitat, along streams and creeks.

Another one in the distance. severely on the downslide: