It was a little boy’s paradise on Tuesday, February 23, in the front parking lot of the Cowboy Bar & Grill on Highway 9 in Felton. Heavy equipment operators were working from about 10:00 a.m. to late in the afternoon, cutting down and removing a huge old tree from Mike Verutti’s property. There was also a P.G. & E. cherry-picker truck onsite to make certain none of their gas pipes or electrical wires were affected by the work.
According to Verutti, the tree’s roots were encroaching on a leach field and pipes. It was also displacing the cement work, creating a pedestrian hazard. The tree had to go but it was a bittersweet moment for Verutti who had planted the tree in 1980 in memory of his father, Jack Verutti, following his death from cancer. “The tree was just a sprig when we planted it. It grew to maybe 30 or so feet tall in 36 years. It was a good memorial to my dad,” said Verutti.
The tenant of the property, Cowboy Bar & Grill, is closed on Tuesdays so this was a good day for the project. They are moving their business down the road and Verutti will be looking for a new tenant. This was a good time to do the necessary repair work.
The Verutti Family, in their third generation of doing business in the San LorenzoValley, have always been supportive of the community. Recently they have donated the two-acre parcel of property which will house the new Felton Library and Community Center.
