BONNERS FERRY, Idaho--The battle to save a custom tree house in Bonners Ferry, Idaho is over after the owners lost a fight over property rights.
The house is located in three trees over the Kootenai River.
This all started after the Army Corp of Engineers told the city the trees had to go because they could fall and damage a nearby water levee. That threat meant Bonners Ferry could have missed out on federal funds for levee repairs.
Since KREM2 News broke the story about the city wanting to take the tree house down almost four months ago, we've seen a big controversy get even bigger. People were even volunteering to chain themselves to the tree to save it.
In the end the city tore the tree house down.
Owner Tremain Albright says there was a plan to save the house if it was taken out of the trees, but claims he wasn’t given enough time to do it.
Now there are just three jagged stumps and the trees are lying in the river. Crews put the tree house in a dumpster.
Mayor Dave Anderson says the city bent over backwards to save the tree house. He says officials weren’t obligated to warn Albright because a survey shows the trees were on city property. Albright says the land is his.
The mayor says the trees while be removed but he didn’t know when. The city hasn’t made any offers to pay the trees’ owners.
