By Kevin Herrera

Daily Press Staff Writer

THIRD STREET PROMENADE — The jacaranda trees are here to stay, as are their ample shade, lilac-blue trumpet blossoms and, well, urine-like stench.

The board of directors for Bayside District Corp., an influential, downtown merchants association, voted Thursday night to keep the sub-tropical trees that line the Promenade despite complaints from shoppers and city maintenance staff about their offensive scent and the high-cost of maintaining the jacarandas.

Members of the board felt the benefits provided by the trees, some of which will need to be replaced in the coming months because of age, outweighed the drawbacks, which include the odorous smell and sticky sap that has stained portions of the Promenade sidewalk.

“It’s sort of like dating a beautiful woman, she might be high maintenance, but it’s worth it,” board member Barbara Bryan said. “I think the trees add such beauty to the Promenade, and when I speak to people who visit, they always remark about how wonderful the trees look.

“They just add so much to the ambiance.”

Board member Patricia Hoffman agreed.

“As awful as they are, they are so exquisite,” she said. “And they are good for hanging decorative lighting … I’m all in favor of keeping the jacarandas.”

Board members Kelley Wallace and Rob Radar voted against sticking with the jacarandas, preferring to study other trees that would be easier to maintain, particularly if new sidewalks are installed on the Promenade as part of a future community improvement project.

“Rarely do we get an opportunity to go back and do it right,” Radar said. “It would be terrible to flitter that away.”

“It’s a tough call,” said Edward Greenberg, the supervisor of maintenance at the Promenade. “The jacarandas are exceptionally beautiful and they do make the Promenade, but they pose problems too.”

Greenberg said the trees blossom from early spring to autumn. When the blossoms fall, they saturate the sidewalk, staining the ground black from the sap released. The summer heat also melts the blossoms, creating a smell akin to that of urine.

“Every tree poses maintenance problems, but there are some that require less work. The jacarandas are really a tradition here … for 17 years, they’ve been a success story and I’m not sure making a radical change is a good thing to do.

“People love to sit and read or have coffee under those trees.”

Bayside and city staff are in the process of hiring a consultant to study the trees to develop a replacement schedule for those that are damaged and pose a safety risk. Replacement will be staggered so as not to detract from the look of the Promenade, board members said.

PUBLIC ART OR PROTEST?

In other action, the Bayside board considered endorsing a public art project — “A Red Line Connects Us” — which is intended to draw attention to the human cost of war.

Local artist Abby Sher, owner of Edgemar, which houses the Santa Monica Museum of Art, wants to lay down a red strip of water-based paint, one inch wide or less, in the middle of sidewalks in downtown to honor those who have lost their lives in war. Sher said she will paint the line while walking at a pace equal to that which a drop of blood drips from an IV. Sher said she will paint every day, except Sundays, for one hour a day, starting on the southern end of Main Street and finish on the Promenade during Memorial Day weekend.

“This will symbolize how we are still at a primitive level when it comes to the way we solve conflict, whether it be between nations, religions or on our city streets,” said Sher, who won the endorsement of the city’s Art Commission. “I feel this is something I need to do.”

Sher said the project is non-partisan and is not meant to be a commentary on the war in Iraq.

Many board members seemed in favor of the idea as long as it remained non-partisan, but the body did not endorse it. During the meeting, it was unclear if Sher would need a city permit for her art project since she will be using a water-based paint that can be removed as easily as a chalk drawing by kids playing hop-scotch.

Bayside’s board is scheduled to meet again on Feb. 22, where they are expected to debate the future look of the Promenade and adjacent Santa Monica Place mall in light of recent improvements to the competing Westfield Shopping Town in Century City. The location of that meeting is still being discussed.