Labour Day Monday’s gusty northwest winds are likely to blame for bringing down a very large cottonwood tree on the campus of Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI) in Gretna which just grazed the building.

Principal Bernie Loeppky, in a submission to PembinaValleyOnline.com, stated the tree came down around noon, damaging a corner of the MCI library.  No one was hurt when the tree fell.

Neighbours reported having felt the ground shake with the impact of the fall.

It was those same neighbours and staff members who came to help the school remove the branches and leaves from blocking access to the front doors of the building. Loeppky noted, in just a couple hours, the area had been cleared.