The date for the Toomer's Oak Tree Removal is set for Tuesday, April 23, three days after the last celebratory rolling on A-Day, Saturday April 20.
At the Auburn City Council meeting Tuesday, March 19, the Council passed a resolution to close streets from 7 a.m. for five hours to remove the trees.
The University requested that date, and it was Council action to close the streets to accommodate them.
"We are traffic control and closing the streets down," City Manager Charles Duggan said. "I have the authority to adjust the hours. We really don't think it'll take five hours. We are just being safe and telling people what to plan for."
The City hopes to be done before lunch.
"We will put barricades up closing off the entire intersection, but we are going to allow space for bystanders and the public to watch what's going on, as well as space for media," Project Management Director Ron Booth said.
Asplundh Tree Expert Company will have two teams to work simultaneously on both trees.
"They are going to work from the top down," Booth said. "They'll cut it in sections and lower those sections down to the ground. Once they are both down they will be loaded onto a truck, and they will be transported to a vendor who is going to make commemorative items out of it.'
The roots will remain until the corner renovation is complete.
In other news the Council passed resolutions to build a parking lot on Gay Street and convert En Fuego into a lounge.
- On the corner of Gay and Magnolia the Council passed to build a parking lot of 93 spaces
The location for the parking lot will be the former location of the AuburnBank drive-thru. It will be an increase of 75 spaces over the current inventory.
"The project is underbid now, so we should be under construction shortly after school lets out," said assistant city manager Kevin Cowper.
- The Council determined En Fuego would need to be converted to a lounge.
"They weren't selling enough food," Duggan said. "To be a restaurant you have to sell 51 percent of receipts have to be from food, and they weren't selling enough food so we had to convert. They can still sell food if they want, but they can't be a restaurant."
The outdoor cafe permit for En Fuego will be revoked and the establishment will need to reapply for liquor licenses.
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