The 70-year-old Monterey Cypress trees in front of the Crescent City Public Library have bacterial and fungal infections and will be cut down soon.In September, an arborist was hired to evaluate the trees after city officials and a company that was fixing cracks in the pavement noticed the trees were shedding branches at an elevated rate. The evaluation revealed that not only were the tree trunks infected, but the crowns of the trees were unbalanced due to large cavities and nesting holes - conditions that have put the trees at “imminent” risk of falling and hitting cars and buildings below.Crescent City-based Hemmingsen Contracting Company provided a quote of $38,005 to remove the trees and was awarded the contract by the city council November 15. The project did not require going out for bid because that’s required only for public works projects of $60,000 or more.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');The trees predate the library, which was constructed at the corner of Front and K Streets in 1965 after the 1964 tsunami. The area includes a 124-paved parking stall lot, streetlights, public utilities and landscaping.Originally, Hemmingsen Contracting was hired to repair the cracks caused by the trees, which have become so severe that water seepage has started to undermine the parking lot’s foundation and has created tripping hazards.“The council’s desire was to save these trees,” said Mayor Pro Tem Blake Inscore. “These trees endured the 1964 tsunami. We acknowledge the importance of history, but we also prioritize the safety of residents.”According to City Manager Eric Wier, once the trees are removed and the asphalt is repaired, some type of foliage will be considered as a replacement, but it probably won’t include trees.“Parked-based trees are more appropriate than trees in a parking lot,” Wier said.On Wednesdays, the local Farmer’s Market uses the parking lot in the mornings, and Tesla constructed three supercharging stations and six charging posts in 2016. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });