Paving Paradise

Many years ago, Joni Mitchel sang, “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” which reflects exactly what is happening to Old Marco. The recent article entitled “A New Beginning Awaits” highlighted the move of long-time businesspeople from a “historic cottage” in Old Marco but saved the most important point for the very last paragraph. They are cutting down the single specimen tree in Marco, the century-old Royal Poinciana. This tree represents the entrance into Old Marco. It represents time past. The “Ten Thousand Trees in Ten Years” project was established by the Marco Island Beautification Advisory Committee and approved by the City Council to improve the island’s beauty, environment, safety, property value, and residents’ well-being by increasing the tree canopy on the island. This tree cannot be replaced in this century no matter how many small trees are planted. The Carvelli Restaurant Group needs to stop thinking about their very lucrative bottom line and start thinking about the community which has made them very rich. Build the necessary parking spaces around this tree and use semi-permeable pavers to allow ran water to reach the roots. They may lose only a couple of parking spaces, but they will save history. As Joni sang, “They took all the trees put 'em in a tree museum. And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em.” Let’s preserve paradise and not pave it.