Oak trees around the Lincoln County/Brookhaven Governmental Complex have begun to come down.

Workers from AJ’s Tree Service were busy cutting limbs and removing debris early Wednesday morning in preparation to remove the trees completely.

The 10 large shade trees had become a safety issue and were causing other problems, according to District 4 Supervisor and Board of Supervisors President Eddie Brown.

The board voted recently to take bids on the removal of the trees and awarded the job to low bidder AJ’s Tree Service for approximately $11,000, which will come from the general budget, according to County Administrator David Fields.

“The size of the trees is constantly increasing, and they’re already into the power lines,” Brown said. “They’re staining the outside of the courthouse, killing the grass, and as they grow, they’re going to get so massive they’re going to create more problems.”

A tree on the back side of the building near the jail is also dropping leaves and other debris into the air conditioning unit, Brown said.

The government building will be pressure washed and new grass planted once the trees have been removed.

“For safety purposes, we’re trying to get it under control while we can,” Brown said.