Restraining Order leaves mess
7:11 p.m. Thursday, August 30, 2007
"Its as though they were bleeding to death; all this unnecessary destruction," says Pedro Irigonegaray as he surveys what is left after the Episcopal Diocese cut down the trees where a new parking lot will go behind grace Cathedral. "Remember the song 'they paved over paradise and put up a parking lot'? It's happening and we have to stop it.".
But Diocese spokeswoman Melodie Woerman says that's not the case.
The Bishop's Statement
A PDF version of a statement released by the Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas is available here.
"We're not paving over paradise to put in a parking lot. We're taking a little slice of our property so that we can allow our cathedral to have parking for disabled and elderly members so they can go to church," she says.
Irigonegaray represents the friends of Bethany Place in their lawsuit to stop the parking lot. They got a restraining order after the trees came down. It means the church can't clean up the mess until after a hearing. At issue is how historic the trees are. The trees are at least a hundred and twenty five years old.
Above is an overhead, enlargeable view of the Cathedral and the surrounding property.
"We asked the city arborist and a private tree service to come out and give us an estimate of the trees. Both of them said they were approx. 50 to sixty years old," says Woerman.
"Look at this magnificent tree. If it could only cry, its screams could only be heard all over Topeka," says Irigonegaray.
But the Diocese says the restraining order is just providing a safety hazard for gawkers and holding up progress.
"We have a first amendment right to the free exercise of our religion and we believe this is negatively impacting our first amendment rights," claims Woerman.
The parking lot will be for forty spaces. According to the Diocese, that's about four percent of the four acre green space at Bethany Place.
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Comments
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Aug. 30, 2007 at 9:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)morcon (anonymous)
The church owns it- they can do what they want. Leave them alone and go plant your own trees on your own property.
Aug. 30, 2007 at 10:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)jrherrick (anonymous)
thats it! I am cutting a tree a day down until this nonsense stops!
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