Boro to pay for tree removal;

Boro to pay for tree removal;

residents will fix sidewalks

By lauren kushner

Staff Writer

MILLTOWN — The trees that were planted many decades ago on borough rights of way between curbs and sidewalks have been taking their toll on homeowners’ properties. As a result, the Borough Council and residents are working together to take care of the problem.

Through an ordinance adopted Monday, the borough will pay the cost of cutting down the trees that have caused sidewalks to lift and created hazardous conditions for walking. While the town is paying for the trees to be cut down, the homeowners are responsible for picking up the cost of the sidewalk repairs.

Councilman Gary Walters said that with this ordinance it will only take the borough about a year to complete the tree program, despite an initial plan to take out the trees over three years. Between the new ordinance and the one adopted in 1999, a total of $300,000 has been set aside for the work.

Many of the trees had not been removed when they originally became a problem because they were located on borough rights of way, according to Roseann Carbonara, a resident of Rosewood Drive.

Even if residents had wanted to cut down the trees themselves, they would have been fined because the property belongs to the town. Carbonara said residents were informed that they needed to apply for a permit before having any work done on trees planted in the borough right-of-way area. A resident’s request had to go to the Shade Tree Commission, which would come out to inspect the tree.

Residents said the trees had been causing problems with their insurance. Insurance companies threatened to drop homeowners’ policies because the lifting of the sidewalks created a hazard. Residents said the value of their properties decreased as a result.

"My property value has decreased because I can’t grow grass on the front lawn because of the roots of the tree," Carbonara said.

The borough will be responsible for cutting down 126 trees that are seen as problems.

"We are taking away the cause of the damage to the property," Mayor Gloria Bradford said.

Even though the trees are being taken care of, the sidewalk damage is another project in and of itself.

"If people are interested, we will try to get one contractor to take care of the whole town," Bradford said, adding that the idea is to eliminate some of the cost to the homeowners. "Unfortunately this is a problem that everyone inherited," she said.

Business Administrator Richard Rydstrom said in June that the cost for replacing sidewalks is expected to range from $150 to $250 per block, but that figure will depend on the quantity being done by a contractor.

Residents who appeared at Monday’s meeting said they are pleased that the council is helping out with the trees.

"It’s commendable that the town has come to a solution," said Frank Terrio of Brook Drive.

Carbonara said she too is "pleased that the council has been very responsive."