A Cherokee County woman is battling the city of Holly Springs over two trees it wants to take down for a road widening project.

At 75, Linda Caldwell has lived in her home on Holly Springs Parkway most of her life. It was built by her husband’s parents in the 1940′s and he helped plant the oak trees as a boy.

“My husband passed away in ‘99 and they’re sentimental. He did some carving in one of them,” she tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish.

The home is now surrounded by apartment complexes and commercial developments. She’s already been through one road widening project and lost several trees then. Now these two are in jeopardy.

“The trees that are in front of her house are in the right-of-way. The engineer has determined that in order to widen the road, we need to remove the trees,” says City Manager Rob Logan.

He says the city has been trying to work with Caldwell to reach a solution. But so far, she isn’t budging.

Caldwell is also concerned about safety. If the trees are taken, so will be most of her front yard.

“Me (and) my grandkids, we would all have to back out into that four-lane road to get out of here,” she says. “That’s just wrong and I will not sign anything that puts my family in danger.”

Because the trees are in the right-of-way, Logan says the city doesn’t need her permission. But he says it will work with her to reach a resolution.

“We’re not going to do anything without working with her,” says Logan. “We’ll continue that process. We’re not just going to show up and cut her trees down without her knowledge.”

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