City seeks three Christmas trees for downtown parks

Need an evergreen removed from your property? If so, let Lexington use it for its official tree-lighting festival.

The city needs three nicely shaped live trees to place in downtown parks to be decorated for the holidays. In return, the city and Kentucky Utilities will remove the tree free of charge to the owners. The trees should be:

▪ 40- to 50-feet high

▪ 20- to 25-feet wide

▪ Either a Norway spruce, a Colorado blue spruce or a Douglas fir (pine trees are not eligible, as they are not sturdy enough).

“City officials will assess the tree to determine if it is suitable,” said Cathy Mobley, public service manager with Lexington Parks and Recreation. “There’s no financial compensation. If your tree is chosen, the city and KU will remove it on either Nov. 16 or 17 and provide stump grinding after removal at no cost to the homeowner.”

The selected trees will be placed in Triangle Park at Main Street and Broadway; Isaac Murphy Park at Third Street and Midland Avenue; and in front of the Kentucky Utilities building on Quality Street. They will be decorated and lit Nov. 26 as part of Luminate Lexington.

The trees must also meet the following guidelines:

▪ Have a pyramidal shape, with fullness, especially at the bottom.

▪ The body of the trees should have few or no holes.

▪ The trees should not be growing into houses or into other trees.

▪ Access must be provided with clearance of at least 10 feet in width, with no power lines growing in the trees.

▪ There should be no other obstacles, such as buildings, preventing access.

▪ KU must be able to back a low-boy trailer up to the tree and place trucks on either side.

Property owners should call LexCall at 311 or 859-425-2255 to donate a tree. Owners of selected trees will be contacted by the city.

This story was originally published October 10, 2016 at 11:51 AM with the headline "City seeks three Christmas trees for downtown parks."