After months of back-and-forth, the City of DeLand has reached a $12,500 agreement with a local property owner to ensure that a historic live oak tree won’t be cut down to accommodate the city’s expanding bike trail.

DeLand dentist Anthony Visconti and the City of DeLand negotiated the price for an easement across his property so the city can bend a planned expansion to the cross-city Paiva Greenway around a historic oak tree in the 600 block of North Garfield Avenue.

Nearby residents, who are hoping to raise as much as $2,500 of the price, to bring the city’s cost for the easement down to $10,000 — were happy to hear the tree won’t be going anywhere.

Saying that she was speaking for a number of her neighbors, DeLandite Mary Selter expressed appreciation for Visconti’s cooperation, as well as for the city’s diligence in coming to a deal before removing the tree.

“We’re just pleased the tree is saved,” Selter told The Beacon. “We think of it as a gift to posterity; it’s not just for our current enjoyment, it’s for the enjoyment of future generations. It’s worth the investment.”

The City Commission’s decision to pay Visconti came one month after the City Commission discussed whether to pay the $20,000 Visconti wanted for the 250-square-foot easement.

According to Visconti, his initial ask was $27,500, but his discussions with City Manager Michael Pleus prompted him to reduce his price. While he wanted to see the tree saved, Visconti said he wasn’t going to let the government have his property for free.

City leaders were hesitant to give the property owner $20,000. During that discussion, Pleus said if all of Visconti’s property were valued the same as the $20,000 he wanted for the easement, his entire property would be valued at approximately five times its worth on the real estate market.

The City Commission ultimately voted 3-2 against paying Visconti $20,000. City Commissioners Charles Paiva and Jessica Davis voted in favor of it, but Mayor Chris Cloudman and City Commissioners Kevin Reid and Dan Reed outnumbered them.

Paiva and Davis argued that saving the tree was worth the price, in part because removing such a large tree isn’t cheap, either. Reid was more worried about the cost of the easement.

“I wholeheartedly understand the value of this tree, but at that value I think it sets a horrible precedent,” he said. “This isn’t my money. It’s other taxpayers’ money, and I know individuals who voted for me would not appreciate the city spending the funds in that manner.”

So when the city manager returned with the $12,500 request from Visconti, city leaders were mostly eager to pony up the cash and allow the expansion of the bike trail to continue.

The city’s agreement to give Visconti $12,500 passed by a 4-1 vote, with Cloudman the only vote against. That vote, he explained, wasn’t necessarily about the cash.

Cloudman’s concern was about a provision in the agreement that stated the city would replace the live oak in the same spot if anything were to happen to it. Cloudman argued that location wasn’t the best for the accommodation of the multiuse trail.

Why reduce his ask? Visconti said he really just didn’t want to see the tree go.

“It’s just too beautiful of a tree to let go,” he said. “It was a compromise, but that’s the way it goes.”