Kenton County Schools says ginkgo tree 'will not be removed' for elementary school expansion

A cherished ginkgo tree will not be harmed as a result of a planned expansion of a Kenton County elementary school. 

The Kenton County School District appears to have listened to the public's concerns and has decided not to remove the ginkgo tree – thought to be 150 years old, school district officials said in a tweet Saturday morning. 

"The KCSD has taken necessary steps to ensure the (Ginkgo) tree is protected & will not be removed as part of construction," the tweet read. "The goal is to provide world-class facilities for our kids & we will continue to work to find alternative solutions at Hinsdale going forward." 

Edgewood City Councilman Ben Barlage said he was trying to spread the word to people about the tree when he saw it marked with an 'X' for demolition in a Kenton County Schools' plan for an expansion at R.C. Hinsdale Elementary School.

His Facebook post about the tree and school's intertwined history generated 106 shares. Barlage said his phone has been filled with texts and calls from people who remember the tree fondly, he said. Ginkgo trees, native to Southeast Asia, can also be found across the Midwest.

The school district, in a written statement released Friday, said it was talking about making other plans that would allow the tree to stay.

"On behalf of the Kenton County School District, we recognize the importance of the beloved (Ginkgo) tree to the school and the larger community," said Jess Dykes, director of public information for the district in the statement.  "The district is reviewing all options to ensure we can protect the tree through construction." 

Barlage, who is an architect, said he understands the school's need to expand. 

When architect Robert Ehmet Hayes designed the school, the tree was purposefully kept in front of the school, according to a July 2, 1971, Enquirer article, announcing the planned school.

Barlage went to the school, and to this day class and staff photos are frequently taken with the tree in the background. Anyone who went to school there knows about the tree.

"It's an ever-present part of the school," he said.

For a suburban area, the tree is an important part of the city's history, he said.

It's believed the ginkgo was planted by a Cincinnati iron foundry owner, George Phillips, who used the property as a summer home and was among the group that created the Dudley Pike when it was a toll road, Barlage said.

The property where the tree is was later owned by attorney John B. O'Neal before it was acquired by the public schools, he said.