Submitted by Bob Warfield.
Let me say that again: The Chase Bank Maples, once glorious, are dying from shameless neglect.
Well before Lakewood became a city, I remember local community excitement as we watched this once handsome building, with its gorgeous bronze tulip fountain, rise at its centrally prominent location. To this day, it remains a valued architectural icon though beams and timber rot for want of care. Perhaps they will be repaired or replaced when patch-work sheathing and strap becomes an embarrassment for landlord or tenant. But what of the once splendid planting that show-cased the building and graced the breeze and eye of all who passed?
A courtesy visit with the manager to express concern, as others have done for more than a year, revealed numbing disinterest, a stunning absence of curiosity or concern. No one needs a degree in horticulture to spot a dead tree or plant, ones dying or missing, or the relentless march of consuming ivy. We cannot pin this on climate change or lack of water. Where does exterior neglect end and interior neglect begin? Nature doesn’t care either way.
It is ironic that City of Lakewood, over the past year in deference to “nature,” has adopted a set of tree preservation restrictions and canopy enhancement goals likely as ambitious as any municipal code anywhere in the country. But proof of benefit will not be found in a file drawer or hard drive. It will be proven or not by the enduring vigor of our maples, oak and fir, and by the birdsong, color of fall and blossom of spring that makes a cosmopolitan park of every sidewalk and boulevard where people stroll or gather to invest their lives with purpose. The maples of our city matter. Without them, what’s the point of a bank, or the value of civic pride?
Thank you for bringing this up to the bankers management. Just having a voluntary watering brigade would seem reasonable but maybe they can’t see the benefit unless the green is cash.
Thank you Bob Warfield for always keeping your eye peeled for problems and improvement opportunities, thereby protecting the City of Lakewood;
Your other positive virtue is the fact that you speak up or to coin a phrase, “When you see something, you say something.”
Is anyone listening? I hope so.
Joseph Boyle – Former Lakewood Resident 51 years.
Just yesterday I was driving by these once beautiful maples and remembering the days I was fortunate enough to work in the old Park Lodge school building when it served as the administration building for Clover Park Schools. My office was directly across the street from these trees, and in the fall, as they changed color, they were spectacular. I don’t get to Lakewood as often these days, but when I do, it’s disappointing to see how these trees are deteriorating. So sad to see. In difficult times like these, it’s more important than ever to have the calming influence of nature at its best…like these maples used to be.
It’s not just the maples that are dying… the management seems to have stopped watering the property, and all the plants are dead or struggling. Such a waste.
I;ve always enjoyed watching the maples since I moved here 8 years ago. They were the first to bud out and the first to color, Not this year. Really sad.
Well said, Bob. Maybe focusing the public eye on the bank manager and landlord will lead tor resuscitation, if that’s possible after long neglect.
Beautiful buildings like the former library are allowed to deteriorate to the point of no repair and ultimate destruction. Will this be the story, also, of the Chase bank building? If the condition of our buildings is not under the control of the Lakewood City Council, is landscaping? The city has placed heavy controls on tree maintenance on homeowners but lets those magnificant maples, as well as other plants on the property, die? That corner was one of the few attractive commercial sites in Lakewood. Will it be allowed to deteriorate to the point of no repair, like the Lakewood library? Attractive architecture and landscaping are rare in the primary business area; and from the appearance of current construction which consists primarily of minimalist “boxes”, improvement does not look promising. Let’s at least preserve the gems that we have.
Not only are the trees at the bank of concern and dying – drive around the city and one will see other familiar trees dying as well – trees need care just as flower gardens.
Will the city find an ordinance that will allow them to take control of the trees?
Can they sue the management for neglect, or fine them to the extent that it would make maintaining the property the least expensive thing to do?
Probably not. They won’t even answer emails from Lakewood citizens.
Is the overall degradation of Chase Bank’s landscape an indication of financial hardship? Perhaps we should move our investments to a financial institution that demonstrates the significance of being an important member of the community.
The blight can be seen from more than 1/2 mile away, especially in contrast to Clover Park High School’s well maintained landscape. Much like the trees around the Lakewood Center, Pac Hwy etc., Maples provide excellent canopy/shade cover, helping to keep buildings cooler, minimizing utility cost. The broad leaves also provide much needed shade cover for drought riddled foliage below (also dying). You don’t need to be a financial genius to know that it is going to cost more to remove dead trees than it does to water them!
Please step up and return to the once respected member of the community you were Chase.
Another example of corporate neglect of everything and everybody. To them it’s always profit, profit, profit. It takes so little time and effort to keep trees and other plants happy and thriving. Imagine how they feel about humans.
The World Economic Forum says “We will own nothing and be happy”, as “they” take control of all assets.
Perhaps they have a plan for those trees.