LONGWOOD, Fla. – Seminole County leaders have proposed new security measures for Big Tree Park to protect "Lady Liberty" and the remains of "The Senator."
The Senator -- a historic, 3,500-year-old cypress tree -- collapsed in mid-January following an early morning fire.
[Raw video: The Senator catches fire]
According to a staff report, Seminole County commissioners said the county should spend a combined $29,600 on two fences -- an eight-foot fence around The Senator and Lady Liberty, and a six-foot tall fence around the entire park.
The fencing around the Senator's stump and Lady Liberty will cost $18,850, according to the board of commissioner's memo.
The county's Leisure Services Department also recommends installing two or three cameras "to monitor and record activities around the remains of The Senator and Lady Liberty. The cameras would cost $34,000, according to the report.
The report also gives recommendations for removing the remains of The Senator, creating a special display for the remains and preserving the tree's "genetic legacy."
The Leisure Services Department recommends three things in order to remove the rest of the remains of The Senator:
- Hire Florida Land Improvement to remove pieces of the remains at a cost "not to exceed $25,000"
- Have staff collect large pieces and cut them into smaller pieces
- Allow artists to take pieces for specific art to be created
In order to preserve the "genetic legacy" of The Senator, park workers have protected four seedlings and three saplings found near the tree. Workers are also considering taking clones of the tree from the University of Florida and transplanting them to Big Tree Park.
[Related: Sanford Zoo plants tree in memory of "The Senator"]
The Leisure Services Department is also proposing the creation of kiosks and graphics where people can ask about The Senator and learn about its historic life. Kiosks in Big Tree Park would display the art and would cost about $1,000.
The total so far is $90,000 and there are even more costs in the proposal for replanting.
The Senator was a source of pride for Longwood and all of Seminole county. The cypress tree was 3,500 years old when it burned down.