IN a controversial decision at last Monday night's monthly council meeting it was decided to remove Vale Street's historic London Plane tree at a cost in excess of $17,000 to the local community.
The tree has stood proudly outside what is the Chelsea Café for over 80 years and the decision has outraged 'tree fairy' Hazel McKenzie-Kay.
Item 19 on council's meeting agenda was to confirm the minutes of the recreational facilities committee on May 5, which suggested council consider both options two and three.
Option two would allow the tree more space by increasing the unpaved area while option three to remove the tree and replace it with two other selected trees.
Option one to continually replace the pavement was considered inappropriate and not discussed.
Mrs McKenzie-Kay is also a member of the tree subcommittee established to advise council of all matters relating to Cooma's flora and said this decision has rendered the subcommittee, who preferred option two, irrelevant.
"I'm not very happy with the state of affairs if the tree committee is powerless, why do we bother?"
Earlier in the night a matter relating to the saleyards was deferred because there was no quorum, Mrs McKenzie-Kay said the matter relating to the tree should have been treated the same way.
"This meeting went against all the rules, how can one matter be deferred because there was no quorum and the other wasn't?"
"Council didn't follow procedure having had recommendations not to get rid of it yet."
A formal complaint has been made about the manner in which council handled item 19 at the meeting and Mrs McKenzie-Kay said the tree's fate is now in the hands of the public.
"The tree won't be cut down if people make enough noise," she said.