Call me a tree hugger, but save the Merrimon magnolia

Kudos to the proposal for a Harris-Teeter grocery store at 136 Merrimon Ave. (on the corner of E. Chestnut and Merrimon). The site is the location of the former Deal Motor Cars; before that, there was a mansion built by George W. Pack — the same Pack of Pack Square and Pack Library.

Mr. Pack, himself a lumberman, had a special fondness for magnolia trees and planted them in places significant to his lifestyle. Presently, there is a 100-plus-year-old magnolia standing on the southwest corner of the lot where the proposed store is to be built.

[According to Steve Vermillion] of Charlotte-based property management company Merrifield Patrick Vermillion, the tree would have to be destroyed in the interest of the project. He told me that smaller trees would be planted to replace it.

I suppose my interest in the matter makes me a tree hugger by proxy, but so be it. This tree is an irreplaceable, historically significant evergreen that has beautiful summer blooms and has graced its spot for as long as I remember. Countless people have remarked to me of the beauty of the tree, unaware of the future peril it faces.

Many of us remember the recent brouhaha that ensued when destroying the magnolia tree [at City-County Plaza] was discussed. I am suggesting a similar action of opposition to the destruction of this tree.

— Dennis Hill
Asheville

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3 thoughts on “Call me a tree hugger, but save the Merrimon magnolia

  1. MayBURite!

    I agree with you, and there is nobody who could look me in the eye and call me an environmentalist. If something exists on municipal property, which is of significance, creates a benefit for the public, or is a naturally existing creation of God… Then, it should at the least be the business of those who pay taxes.

    Too often it is easy to take down, instead of put up. Why can the Harris Teeter not exist there with the centennial magnolia tree?
    Although, Ingles has done enough for the community that I don’t know how much I would like them building in this area at all. Except with Ingles prices in the last few years, people may find Harris Teeter prices to be quite reasonable! :P

    So, if defending this tree makes you a tree hugger, then well, maybe it is a worthwhile cause.

  2. Julia Gaunt

    Please save this tree! Trees are like old friends, they have watched us born, live, and die while standing and providing their beauty, their shade, and their wisdom. I connect with the trees around me. Let’s not desreguard what has come before us and may be here long after we are gone….if we give them the respect they deserve and protect them as we should.

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