Thousand Oaks Memorial Pays Tribute to ‘Borderline 12’

Team members from BrightView joined forces with residents of Thousand Oaks, Calif., to honor the 12 victims of the Nov. 7, 2018, mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill. One year after the tragic event, the community came together to create a new healing garden that pays tribute to the victims.

The garden features 12 vertical water jets, 12 natural stone slab benches, 12 natural granite boulders, and one massive oak tree.

BrightView Tree Company donated the 50-year-old oak tree as the centerpiece of the garden. The 30-foot coast live oak tree was delivered to the healing garden in September from BrightView’s nursery in Fillmore, Calif.

“During the selection of the oak tree for the healing garden, our goal was to find a large, healthy specimen that would tie into the existing mature trees on site,” said Andrew Mooney, Conejo Recreation and Park District Senior Park Planner. “The selected tree provides an anchor for the garden, which offers a background element to the space while also providing texture and shade through its foliage.”

The oak, which is 20 feet wide, was set to be destroyed before being rescued by BrightView Tree Company. It was relocated and cared for by BrightView’s experts and nursed back to its former glory.

“Much like the community of Thousand Oaks, the donated tree is healing,” said Robert Crudup, President and chief operating officer of BrightView Tree Company. “BrightView is honored to be a part of this memorial.”

The mission of the garden is to pay tribute to the Thousand Oaks community and honor the strength they showed in the aftermath of the tragic event.