A dead pine tree over 50 feet tall leaning over a Mississippi home is going to be removed by the City of Ridgeland after the tree’s owner refused to act on it for five months. The dead pine is cracked at its base on one neighbor’s property. It rests on the branches of an oak tree over the next neighbor’s roof. And it’s become everyone else’s problem since.
The homeowner who lives under the leaning tree, Bankeni Monzilli Tillman, has been worrying about it since January, when the cracked pine first came to her attention. She’s a retired veteran and federal employee whose house is on Lincolnshire Boulevard in Ridgeland. The pine itself is rooted on the adjoining property owned by Carol Thompson.
Thompson hasn’t responded to Tillman’s direct requests to take the tree down, according to Tillman’s account to WLBT 3. The City of Ridgeland sent its own notices to Thompson about the dead tree and related code violations in January and February. The city did not get a response either.
Five months later, the city is moving forward without the tree owner. A Ridgeland Board meeting on May 19 adjudicated the property. A vote on the removal contractor is now scheduled for June 16. That’s only a couple of weeks away.
Tillman’s Tree Concerns
Tillman is concerned as the tree has been cracked at the base. It’s being held up only by the branches of an oak tree above her house. Tillman has been worried since then that the dead tree could fall onto her home at any time. Recent storms in the area have already brought down limbs nearby, as well. She added that she isn’t going to remove the tree herself, because it sits on Thompson’s property. Doing so would create a trespassing issue.
Thompson didn’t respond to Tillman’s requests to take the tree down. She also declined to comment on the dead tree when approached by the media. While WLBT reporter Roslyn Anderson was interviewing Tillman, Thompson called the Ridgeland Police Department and reported that Tillman was harassing her. Officer Lay of the Ridgeland Police Department responded to the scene and informed Thompson that Tillman speaking to the media from her own property does not constitute harassment.
What Tillman Did and How the City Intervened
Tillman herself was previously asked by the city of Ridgeland to address dead trees on her own property, and she did so. Tillman cut down six dead trees on her own land after the city brought the issue to her attention, according to her account to WLBT. That doesn’t account for the unwillingness of her neighbor to cooperate, however.
The City of Ridgeland sent Thompson notices regarding the dead tree and related code violations in January and February, according to Ridgeland Director of Public Relations Kim Cooper. After receiving no response from Thompson, the city scheduled a May 19 Board meeting to adjudicate the property, Cooper said. Following that adjudication, Cooper confirmed that Mississippi state law requires the city to wait 10 days before proceeding with removal to give a property owner another chance to resolve the issue.
Thompson has been notified of the Board’s decision to adjudicate the property and is expected to obtain quotes for contractor tree removal. Once a contractor has been voted on, the dead trees will be removed as soon as the chosen contractor can arrange crews. That will likely happen near the end of June.