Tree falls at Fort Borst Park, destroying part of Christmas light display

Dec. 27—Prior to Christmas, an oak tree in Fort Borst Park fell and destroyed some of the lights in the city's drive-thru holiday display, according to Centralia Deputy City Manager and Parks Director Amy Buckler.

Due to the dryer than average summer, the roots of the big, double-trunked oak tree dried out and weakened. With the now-soft, saturated soil of the rainy season, the tree couldn't withstand the winds of winter storms anymore, Buckler said.

"The damage was really to some of the light displays," Buckler said.

The light tunnel, a popular feature of the annual display, was destroyed.

Centralia parks workers fabricated the original tunnel, and Buckler said they will be working to rebuild it for next year.

She added the tree fell sometime late Thursday night, Dec. 21, or early Friday morning, Dec. 22, and staff worked "tirelessly" to clear debris to ensure visitors could still drive around the remaining Fort Borst Park light displays over the Christmas weekend.

"We're just really thankful it didn't fall while people were driving through," Buckler said.

As for any possible safety concerns Borst Park visitors might have, Buckler — who became the parks director in June — stated that older trees considered to be at risk for falling have already been removed, but the last hazard tree assessment completed by the city was in 2020, meaning the city's parks are due for a new assessment.

"We're working on it," Buckler added. "Both trees and safety are important to us at the Parks Department."