Possible reprieve for the Bunya Bunya tree

A meeting to consider an application to cut down the landmark Bunya Bunya tree at the east entrance to town on Sebastopol Ave. had been scheduled for Jan. 16. According to Kenyon Webster of the Sebastopol City Planning Department the meeting was delayed.

Barney Aldrige, developer of the Barlow project who thought  the tree had to be cut to comply with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)  regulations, contacted the Tree Committee saying that his engineers were preparing a new plan that could save the unique tree which some say was planted by Luther Burbank. Since it became known the tree might face the axe, a number of Sebastopol residents including some disabled persons began flooding social media sites with suggestions for ways to save the tree. Alridge participated in the exchange. So now the tree may stay, but it may take both CalTrans and the city being willing to compromise on its standards for ADA compliance.