Aug. 7, 2001 – Three volunteers spent Sunday morning planting 24 young palm trees along Education Street.
Someone else spent some time Monday night tearing 10 of them up out of the ground.
Michael Bornn, who along with Austin "Babe" Monsanto and James Boschulte planted the trees as part of a neighborhood beautification project, said Tuesday he would replace them, "when I get the energy."
The project was carried out under a grant from the U.S. Agriculture Department awarded to the community organization We From Upstreet, Bornn said.
"We've spent the last month cleaning up around the neighborhood," he said, and then added to the potential attractiveness of the area by planting the palms.
Bornn, whose late father, Andrew Bornn, owned a nursery on St. Thomas, has been through this before.
A few years ago, again as a volunteer effort, he planted 30 seedling trees along the waterfront by the V.I. Council of Boy Scouts office. Vandals had a problem with this. He has replaced the trees over and over again.
"They've pulled them out, and I've replaced them," he said. "And I'll keep replacing them."
As long as he has the energy.
