The consensus - the overwhelming consensus - is to preserve all the trees. None of the trees is diseased. None is a danger to themselves or anyone. Since all the trees in Manoa Markeplace are healthy, if there is a problem with any tree, it is strictly a mechanical, engineering question. This entire issue is one of policy. No one is in favor of sacrificing one or more trees to satisfy a false premise of giving up something in order to save anything — just so A&B can say there was a “compromise.” This is not a question of saving face. It’s one of saving the trees! This is about Manoa Valley and the Marketplace trees as a symbol of the Manoa Valley we cherish. The trees and Manoa Valley are one and the same. We don’t want to fight or argue with A&B. We want to enlist them with us as good neighbors in the valley. As we mentioned in the last update, there’s a proposal on the table to save all the monkeypod trees in Manoa Marketplace. This plan uses planters for the row of the trees near Safeway and a green belt to contain the roots of the trees closer to Longs. It also creates more parking spaces in front of the shops. It’s a good solution that meets the needs of everyone involved. Please cast your vote in the KITV poll if you haven’t already and keep spreading the word. Every vote, every signature, every comment counts. http://www.kitv.com/story/37202152/poll-should-the-monkeypod-trees-at-manoa-marketplace-stay-or-go If everybody got just one person to sign the petition, the signatures would double. One easy way to do this is to text or email the sentence and link below to your friends and family. Even if you only send one or two a day, the signatures will increase. Let’s make the signature count soar and save the trees! Please help save these beautiful trees in the heart of Manoa Valley. https://www.change.org/p/alexander-baldwin-save-manoa-marketplace-trees Comments From Manoa Residents “I live in Mānoa and shop almost daily at Mānoa Marketplace. The giant Monkeypod trees are the only element that gives this rather outdated strip mall any character at all. A&B, you would be crazy to remove them especially because it would alienate your clientele. Please do NOT do this. Thank you!” -Eugene Vricella “Those trees provide fresh air and much needed shade within that parking lot. They have been there as long as I can remember.” -James Morel “These beautiful trees are one of the most desirable things about Manoa Marketplace. The gracious ambiance of these trees is well loved by everyone in the community. Please preserve them!” -Cheri Vasek “I love those trees.” -Zachary Hitchcock “It's important to preserve the beauty of the trees. The greenery cools and protects us. We need more trees, not more asphalt.” -Susan Yamamoto “I am concerned that my need for a parking space would mean cutting down one tree, never mind removing several. It is the trees and non commercial environment that make shopping here so appealing. I will no longer shop at Manoa mall if the trees are removed. Please reconsider your decision. Mahalo.” -Sharon Galisa “I love those trees and the lot is sufficient for the number of people that come here. I have NEVER had a problem finding a parking space.” -Angela Richards Dona “These trees are part of the Marketplace. I have been coming to the center for more than 20 years and appreciate that the trees have remained. Work on tenant mix not the trees.” -Stephanie Lake “These beautiful trees are an iconic part of our neighborhood. A&B, please use your considerable resources to find a way to preserve them. They are the heart of the valley.” -Aubrey Hawk “I live in Manoa and shop regularly at Manoa Marketplace. One of its most pleasant attractions are the trees, without which Manoa Marketplace would be just another strip mall and lose its only attractive and aesthetic feature. I often sit and read in my car while my wife shops, and without the cooling shade of the trees, that would not be possible. I have not once in 60 years been unable to find parking. Professional landscape architects and arborists have advised A&B that the trees are completely healthy and that liability issues, root growth and buckling asphalt issues are easily solved by putting attractive planters around the trees. I encourage A&B to visit the Pacific Club and Nuuanu YMCA to learn how they maintain canopy trees in their parking lots. If the trees are cut, we will NOT patronize ANY Manoa Marketplace shops or ANY A&B stores or enterprises. We will go to other stores in the area, as all the appeal of Manoa Marketplace will be gone.” -Jonathan Boyne