Editor

The Town of Ridgeway has seen several large trees come down in the last few months, and one reportedly narrowly missed hitting a home on Highway 34.

At the recent Town Council meeting, it was reported that several other Ridgeway residents have expressed concern about trees hitting their homes.

Because of this, Ridgeway Mayor Charlene Herring and the members of Town Council have been discussing the health of the trees and what is to be done about them.

It seems like it should be an easy decision, cut down the trees that aren’t healthy, but Ridgeway council Robert Hartman says it’s not as simple as that.

He expressed concern in the recent council meeting about the loss of trees in Town, saying it would take away some of the charm of the small Fairfield County Town if there were not large trees to provide shade and character.

He compared what he believes happened in the Town of Winnsboro when trees were cut down in the mill village, thereby changing the nature of that community.

“I do have concerns about the trees in Ridgeway and how cutting those trees would affect the quality of life of the citizens,” Hartman said.

“At the council meeting, I offered to ask the council to have the Town bring an injunction to stop those trees from being cut,” he said.

Then Hartman heard from Ridgeway residents Vicki and Jim Maass, who were concerned about the trees in front of their house and whether those trees were safe or not.

“After hearing their concerns (about the trees falling on their houses and possibly injuring someone,) I said if the citizens are concerned about their health and safety, I would not oppose those trees being cut. I don’t want them cut, I don’t agree that they should be cut, but I think the concerns of the people that live there, their concerns outweigh my desire not to see them cut.

“If they’re afraid for their families, then I’m not going to stand in their way and put my opinion ahead of their safety,” Hartman said.

He added that he has seen trees cut down in different communities and “it just spoils the communities.

“Trees are what bring people to Ridgeway, that’s Ridgeway’s signature,” he added.

He said that he believes that most old trees have problems, but in the case of Ridgeway, “does that mean that you cut all of them? We would look like an interstate if we did that, we’d look like a desert, and I don’t want that.”

Still, Hartman says he recognizes the need for making sure the citizens are safe, and in that case, he would not be opposed to cutting down the trees that citizens feel threaten their safety.