State-owned tree causes headache for Rock Hill grandmother

ROCK HILL, SC — A Rock Hill grandmother says a big tree was causing her all kinds of grief.

"The tree was blinding [me] from getting out of the driveway," said Frieda Boulware.

Not only that, she said limbs fell off the tree and dented her car and broke a fence. Then, the final straw was when a root broke a water pipe. Boulware said her water bills skyrocketed.

“It started out as, like, two something, and then I noticed it was going up to three [hundred], she recalled.

Boulware wanted the tree gone, but the state owned it. She asked the state to cut it down and called every week for four months - but nothing happened.

"I kept waiting and waiting, and that's when I called you guys," she said. "And two days later I got the results."

It's not clear what changed other than Channel 9 getting involved. The state wouldn't reimburse her for her water bills, car damage, or fence damage, but promised to cut down the tree right away.

Two days later, it came down.

"I'm very relieved," said Bouleware.

Cox Media Group