Dozens of trees near FHS to be cut from right-of-way

About 50 trees along the northern border of Franklin Senior High School are set to be cut down by a natural gas pipeline company.
Robert Wade, area manager of Boardwalk Pipeline Partners told members of the St. Mary Parish School Board Thursday that most of the pine and oak trees inside of the school’s security fence along Anderson-Caffery Street are on top of the pipeline company’s right-of-way.
“The reason that we need to cut the trees is they’re located in proximity to our pipeline close enough that they could create a safety hazard,” Wade said. “Our concern is that unless we remove them that would be a hazard that could happen at an inopportune time — primarily storms — if one of the trees were to be uprooted it could pull the pipeline out of the ground and cause a breakage in the pipe.”
Wade said tree roots also pose a problem by squeezing and causing damage to the pipe over time.
He added that being on a school yard makes the safety concern even more of a priority.
He explained that the pipeline was laid in 1943 and later relocated when the school board purchased the property for the school. That would have been in the mid-1950s when the first edition of the school was built, according to retired school teacher Rodger Robinson.
Wade said that originally the trees were probably planted about 2-feet from the pipeline but have now grown to be on top of it.
“I can’t act like there’s not a real danger there if we just continue to let it go,” Wade said.
He added that the pipeline is the source of Centerpoint Energy’s natural gas feed to the entire city.
The trees have “been on that right-of-way quite a long time,” School Superintendent Dr. Donald Aguillard said. “The community is going to notice the absence of those trees.”
He asked Wade if his company had considered planting replacement trees.
“I can’t replace 50 of them at one time but I would like to work with y’all for 10 years or so and you show us where you’d like to have some trees and will plant some trees every year for you,” Wade said.
He also said that the high school has been included in Boardwalk’s scholarship award program.
The work to remove the trees slated to begin sometime after school dismisses for the summer will include cutting down the trees and grinding the stumps even with the ground, Wade said.