Lexington woman arrested during protest against neighborhood tree removal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A woman was arrested in Lexington Monday morning during a protest against plans to remove trees from a grass median in a Lexington neighborhood.

It happened on Lansdowne Drive in Lexington.

According to a report by LEX 18, Laura Zimmerman was one of a group of protesters there to demonstrate against a Kentucky Utilities crew as they cut down a number of trees in the median. Zimmerman was arrested after authorities say she was preventing KU employees from doing their jobs.

Once she was in custody, crews began to chop down one of the trees as neighbors watched from the sidewalk.

KU had been talking for months about removing trees that present a threat to their power lines.

Mayor Linda Gorton said she was hoping for another solution, however, and said she was not at all pleased that KU went forward with its decision to cut the trees down. Gorton said she is proud of Lexington's status as "Tree City USA" and praised trees, not only for their beauty, but for their practicality for facilitating storm water runoff and improving air quality.

But on Monday, despite the vocal protests of many in the area, KU workers fired up the chainsaws and dozens of trees on the Lansdowne median were gone within a matter of minutes.

"This street is beautiful in April and May," said resident Roberta Erena. "KU told us what trees to plant. We planted these trees because they are never going to grow tall. They are never going to be a threat."

KU disagreed.

"Where they (the power lines) are now is not where they may be if there's a change in the weather conditions or a change in the land (they carry), so all of those factors come into play," said KU spokesperson Daniel Lowry.

Lowry also explained the advanced technology KU uses when determining when a tree might soon become a hazard to their power lines.

Erena didn't dispute KU's need to keep those lines, and everyone and everything under them, safe.

"We know KU has to protect these lines," she said. "We know some trees have to come down. All we're asking for is for them to answer our questions -- to sit down with us and make some exceptions."