Orange fencing surrounds the two cottonwood trees in F15 Park in Central Park.

The cottonwood trees at the F15 Park in Central Park are staying and will not be cut down. The Master Community Association board made the announcement at its August meeting.

“I think the voice we heard from the community is not to remove the trees. So we’re not. The trees will stay,” said Keven Burnett, MCA executive director.

Burnett laid out long-term solutions to the issue of protruding tree roots which residents complained created a tripping hazard, including creating wooden barriers and adding warning signage and mulch surrounding the trees. The suggestion was made and accepted to try a short-term solution: adding a layer of topsoil on the roots to build up the area around the cottonwoods.

“We can start with trying to pile up topsoil, see what kind of grows in there, see how long it kind of stays with the amount of activity around this playground, and and see if that is a workable solution,” Burnett said.

Residents who attended the meeting were pleased with the board’s decision.

“Central Park is a beautiful neighborhood because of all the nature and how it is intertwined with the houses and the living spaces. It’s the reason we want to live here,” said Alejandro Varela.

Jake Mellen added that community input needs to be involved in figuring out the next solution if the topsoil doesn’t work.

A timeline for the work was not announced at the meeting.

Crews were planning on removing the trees in July, a decision that was met with complaints from residents who wanted to preserve the trees at the park at 2802 Hanover St.

Burnett added that several other cottonwoods have been removed in recent years from inside the F15 pool enclosure area as the growing roots could potentially cause damage to the pool structure.

The trees, he said, were planted early in the development of Central Park as cottonwoods are fast growing and create a shade canopy.

“There’s no replacement for the fast-growing condition or anatomy of these trees. They create fantastic canopies that provide shade. We let them go until they start to cause some type of problem,” Burnett told the meeting.