Pipestone Flyer
Recently, a concerned citizen picked up a large chunk of tree from the lawn near the entrance to Leduc’s Alex Pool, the outdoor pool located across the pond from the Civic Centre, and delivered it to Todd Wilson, manager of Parks & Open Spaces for the City of Leduc… Upon examination of the tree, where an 8-foot gash held a mysterious secret, it was deemed by the City’s arborist that a strike of lightning had caused this large hole on this mature 40, 50 years old poplar, but that a bacteria had also infested this tree, rendering it unhealthy and unsafe. While Public Works managers state that “we are not in the business of cutting down healthy trees’, the sad decision had to be made to remove this tree, since a weak branch could cause injury to a passerby… The 5-foot long, eight inches wide and thick piece found on the lawn had no bark, but a dark pink color to the chunk was identified as a ‘tint’ caused by the bacteria.
Did you know? The pine beetle, a widely-known tree disease, leaves a blue tint under the bark of the infested tree. Also, poplars are nicknamed “widow-makers”, as disease is quite common in them, and limbs have been known to fall suddenly and cause death…
At press time, CPR officials failed to reply to a request for comments regarding the technical challenges with the railway crossings within the City of Leduc. Arms coming down and bells ringing frequently when no train is in sight have caused some concerns, and the latest incident was on Sunday July 15 around noon, when the arms came down with no train coming. Three good Samaritans held the arms up for traffic to go through for an hour (!) until a CPR maintenance crew arrived. We trust that the CPR will complete the necessary repairs, and restore the crossings to an excellent condition!
City of Leduc Public Works officials and local gardeners are earnestly expecting the visit of Communities In Bloom international judges, hailing from Norway and Belgium (!!) This is the second year Leduc has competed on an international level –very exciting!- and residents are encouraged to tidy up their yards, remove refuse and graffiti from their backyards and alleys. Just another feather to this City’s cap, and another reason to be proud of the beautiful City we call home.