By Mike Hazlilp—
An anonymous Good Samaritan provided funds for a dumpster to assist a local resident who wasn’t able to afford removing a problematic palm tree from his property.
See prior story: Citrus Heights mayor intervenes in controversy over palm tree, code enforcement
Citrus Heights resident Edixon Martinez addressed the city council during last Thursday’s council meeting to thank them for their help in removing palm tree debris left by a tree trimming company he hired to remove a palm tree from his front yard.
“I want to share my deepest gratitude to all of those that made possible the removal of the palm tree and financial burden for my family,” Martinez said during the public comment portion of the meeting.
After Martinez received a letter of abatement from the city asking him to trim his palm tree, the resident decided to have it removed completely to save the ongoing cost of trimming. The company he hired however, told him the city would remove the debris at no charge, Martinez told The Sentinel in a previous report.
Left with a pile of palm tree debris and the prospect of a several hundred dollar clean up bill from Republic Service, Martinez went to the City Council.
Mayor Steve Miller worked with other council members, as well as Police Lt. Chad Morris to arrange for a disposal bin and a claw tractor for the clean up. Miller told The Sentinel the cost was paid anonymously.
Martinez remains unsure who ultimately paid for the effort, but he has a few people connected with the city in mind.
“At this point I am not sure who really made possible the container and palm tree collection,” Martinez said in an email to The Sentinel Tuesday. “I thought (it) was Mr. Bret Daniels, but I learned he was not.”
While he is grateful for the help, Martinez remains concerned about others in the community who might not be in a position to afford to maintain their property.
“I still wonder about my neighbors in the same situation,” he wrote in his public comment to the city last week. “Are they getting help as well? Can this Council arrange for additional resources for those families? Like extra time to comply with this abate notice, a resource sheet with local businesses services with a discount or work with other agencies to combine services, maintenance advice, or creative ways to repurpose palm trees.”
