Jim Shank has nothing against a grand weeping willow tree that has shaded the school grounds in Coupeville for more than half a century.

However, the superintendent of the Coupeville School District is planning to have the massive tree removed this month because of the danger posed by falling branches.

An arborist, hired by the school district, reported that the tree’s trunk and some limbs are experiencing decay.

He called on the arborist after a second large branch broke and fell earlier this year.

“I don’t necessarily want to get rid of it,” Shank said. “This year, we had a major limb break and fall. The year before, there was another major limb break and fall. The reason is it’s rotten on the inside. It’s starting to fall.

“We’ve just been lucky it has been falling at times when no one’s been around.”

Shank said the plan is to remove the tree before the start of school, Aug. 31.

It is located near South Main Street in the parking lot in front of the high school/middle school. It hangs over part of the sidewalk along Main Street.

Shank said he isn’t sure of the tree’s age, a detail that wasn’t included in the arborist report but was informed it had been around long enough that its removal might be a sensitive issue.

Mindful of the outcry over the cutting of an ancient oak tree in Oak Harbor in 2014, Shank checked with several past students and said he couldn’t find any historic significance that outweighed the safety risks.

“We’ve gotten lucky so far,” Shank said. “How far can you press it?”

Marshall and Jan Bronson, owners of the Compass Rose Bed and Breakfast directly across the street from the tree, said they’ll be sad to see the tree go.

“That tree has become a symbol of happiness and joy,” Marshall Bronson said.

“I’ve talked to so many people who think the willow tree is marvelous,” Jan Bronson said.

“It may not be historically significant but it’s nostalgic.”

Jan Bronson said she and her husband were surprised last year when a large portion of the tree came down during a storm.

Marshall Bronson said he hopes some sort of small ceremony might be held before the tree is taken down with a new tree planted in its place.

Longtime Coupeville resident Sara Purdue, 71, also said she’ll be sad to see the tree disappear.

She remembers it 65 years ago when she took piano lessons at a home next to the tree. The school superintendent and his wife lived there and she took lessons from her, as did her sister, Cheryl Engle.

Purdue remembered the tree being “quite large” back then.

“We were always fascinated by the long whips of the willow tree in the front yard,” she said.