For the next three weeks, the park and the surrounding sidewalks will be closed.
"The reason why we are closing the sidewalk is we need allow the Parks are Recreation crews to come in and trim some of the trees over hanging the sidewalk," said Ross Sasamura, Department of Facility Maintenance.
Many of the banyan trees, while beautiful above the ground, are wrecking havoc below the surface.
"The trees are actually entwined with the utility lines and it is not a good combination to have," Sasamura said.
And with park surrounded by a hospital, museum, churches, and high-rise apartments, any power outage in the area could be devastating.
But with the history of the park, City crews know they have to balance the health of the trees with the public good.
"There is a real responsibility that comes with it. We want to make sure the trees we leave don’t just look good, but are safe as well," said Stan Oka, Division of Urban Forestry.
Because of the park and sidewalk closure, the Occupy protesters were given notice last week. Many have left the park and have set up camp across King Street near the Blaisdell Center.
The City says the closure should last three weeks, but a lot depends on how the weather impacts the tree-cutting process.
"It all depends on the how much pruning. It make take a few hours, like this tree right here… It’s big. It will probably take a few hour," said Brandon Au, City tree crew.
Once the work is finished, the park and its sidewalks will be back open as usual.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
