Updated Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, 8:52 a.m. CDT
(COVINGTON, La.) — A termite-ridden tree rocked by storms fell onto St. Paul’s School’s Alumni Office and Band Room on the morning of Monday, Oct. 26, 2015.
“The only thing structurally holding was the outer shell of (the tree),” founder Jamie Montgomery of Langiappe Tree Works said. “It’s like the sail of a boat catching wind and weakening the base. Eventually, in a few more years, it would have fallen forward by itself.”
Before Montgomery and his team rapidly removed the damage during lunch Monday, the downed greenery sat over the entire span of green space in between the Alumni and Development Office and the Band Room, and the damage was enough to get some passersby concerned.
“I was shocked at the extent of the damage,” President Bro. Ray Bulliard, FSC, said. “Fortunately, our insurance will cover most of the cost of repair.”
While the roof may be repairable, one of the building’s historic windows damaged in the fray may not be as fortunate.
“I’m hoping we can preserve it,” Alumni Director Al Nastasi said. “It’s actually bowed, not kinked, and I’m wondering, with a little massaging, if we can get it to straighten up. You’re not going to find a duplicate.”
(photos by Nick Ashton)
The Paper Wolf 