An aged tree fell at Centennial Park in Peru on Sunday, landing on an outhouse and startling residents who first thought the thunderous crash came from a heavy vehicle accident on nearby Shooting Park Road. Peru officials said no one was hurt when the tree came down without warning amid a light breeze, and the fall was reported about 5:15 p.m. Sunday.
The fallen tree is believed to have been diseased and rotten, and city officials are now waiting on a damage assessment for the building. Parks director Adam Thorson said he would seek quotes from a specialist to look at whether other trees in the park are diseased and at risk of falling. “All those trees are pretty old at this point,” he said, adding that it was “suggested getting a certified arborist to examine the older trees.”
That warning lands at a time when the city has no money set aside for removal work. Fire Chief Jeff King said there presently are no funds for tree removal, even if a broader inspection finds more trees need to come down. “If five or six of those trees need to come down,” he said, “there’s no money for it.”
The park’s aging canopy is now the issue, not the single tree that fell. Thorson said he will report back to the council in two weeks, after officials have a clearer sense of which trees may be unsafe and what it would cost to deal with them. Alderman Mike Sapienza said the city should think about planting new trees if large canopies have to be removed, so the park stays shaded even if older trees cannot.
Peru officials said an insurance claim has been submitted. The question now is whether Sunday’s collapse was an isolated failure or a sign that more of Centennial Park’s old trees are nearing the end of the line.