LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Trees are being cut down in front of the Bellagio casino on the Las Vegas Strip ahead of Formula 1's Las Vegas Grand Prix.
According to MGM Resorts International, it's part of their "efforts to provide the best possible experience through improved visibility, mobility and pedestrian access and safety."
Sources tell Channel 13 the trees are being evaluated for sustainability. The ones that aren't sustainable are being chopped down and will be turned into wood chips and used in local parks.
We're also told some of the trees will be coming back around New Year's Eve.
According to a Los Angeles Times article that was written in Feb. 1998, several of those trees came from Ventura County, California. The trees are Japanese privets and the article states they were chosen because they can survive desert heat.
At the time, the article stated 30 trees were chosen to bring to the Bellagio. Officials also stated it cost about $6,750 to uproot and transport each tree to Las Vegas and that it costs the Bellagio about $2,500 to plant the trees.
Many people have expressed their frustrations and disappointment at the trees being removed.
"It's a little frustrating because the people that come down here, this is where they sit and put all their stuff and stay in the shade when the sun's out," said Mike Niemzzyk, who has lived in Las Vegas for seven years. "They're taking this away for one race but I don't know what's going to be there after the race."
Crews are scheduled to start installing track lighting from the Forum to Bellagio from Sept. 12 through Sept. 15.
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