What could be the biggest and oldest hackberry tree in Wichita was getting chopped down without warning on Monday, sparking anger and frustration directed at City Hall, including by a new member of the City Council. While acknowledging that the tree — in the median on Museum Drive near the entrance to the Old Cowtown Museum — is “iconic,” city officials said it has significant weaknesses and has to come down to accommodate water pipe installations connecting the existing city water-treatment plant with the new plant under construction. Maggie Ballard, sworn in as a City Council member two weeks ago, said City Hall botched it by tearing down the tree without any input from or explanation to the neighborhood.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
