Crock
New member
Friday, December 8, 2006
STUMPED!
40-foot-tall blue spruce cut, stolen in dead of night at Worcester condos
By Matthew Bruun TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
Mary Ann Bahnan walks her dog, Marty, near the stump of the stolen spruce tree along Camelot Drive yesterday. (T&G Staff / TOM RETTIG)
WORCESTER— They didn’t steal Christmas, but someone stole what would be the biggest Christmas tree on the block.
An estimated 40-foot-tall blue spruce was cut down and carted away in the dead of night this week from the grounds of Moreland Hill Townhouses on the city’s West Side.
The theft left members of the well-traveled residential neighborhood puzzled, as no one apparently saw or heard what must have been a complicated operation to saw down and remove such a large tree.
Alan Gordon, president of the condominium board, said one of his board members noticed the tree’s absence on Tuesday morning and called him at his office in Charlton, where he works as town planner. The tree had been taken down from one of the well-manicured green spaces at the 116-unit condominium complex.
He estimated the tree was 25 to 30 years old.
Mary Ann Bahnan, who lives on nearby Wrentham Road, was walking her schnauzer, Marty, with a neighbor Tuesday morning and noticed the tree’s absence right away.
“We just shook our heads,” Ms. Bahnan said yesterday. “It was pretty obvious what went on: Somebody came by and cut themselves a nice Christmas tree.”
Mr. Gordon theorized that the party — or parties — responsible must have driven up to the area in the middle of the night Monday and used a handsaw to take down the tree. The size of the tree would have required a flatbed truck to carry it off, he added.
The condo association’s insurer estimated the tree’s value at $2,000 to $3,000, which is less than the deductible the association would have to pay, Mr. Gordon said.
“We’re just stuck with the replacement,” he said.
Their concern with the issue isn’t finances, Mr. Gordon added. It’s the principle.
“It’s just sad someone would do that at this time of year,” he said. He said he planned to draft a letter for members of the condo association asking them to call 911 if they see anything similar happening in the future.
Police were notified about the incident.
Another blue spruce, more than 20 feet tall, still stands not far from the sawed-off stump.
“I hope the other one is left alone,” Ms. Bahnan said.
haha. I bet some nerdy WPI students got bored and did this.
