Removal of old tree upsets some residents

BORDENTOWN CITY – The removal of an old red oak tree from Farnsworth Avenue has disappointed residents who wanted to preserve it, but city officials said the dead or dying branches were a safety hazard.

By:Vanessa S. Holt
   
   BORDENTOWN CITY – The removal of an old red oak tree from Farnsworth Avenue has disappointed residents who wanted to preserve it, but city officials said the dead or dying branches were a safety hazard.
   Although the tree, growing on the 400 block of Farnsworth Avenue, had several dead branches, it was on the Shade Tree Committee’s maintenance bid for the fall.
   "We wanted to preserve the tree," said Al Barker, acting chairman of the Shade Tree Committee. It was uncertain how much longer the tree would live, he said, but a certified tree expert was scheduled to evaluate the tree for the committee on Oct. 6. The tree was removed Oct. 5.
   "We were going to move on his direction," said Mr. Barker, who said he believed the tree would have survived.
   "It was a beautiful old tree," said Rebecca Moslowski, a member of the Shade Tree Committee. "It was not dead."
   To be prepared for both possibilities, the committee had taken bids for both removal and maintenance,.
   The tree was located on city property in front of a house owned by Mark Antozzeski. Mr. Antozzeski said he had complained about dead limbs on the tree for several years. Several branches already had been removed by the Shade Tree Committee.
   Mr. Antozzeski said it was his understanding the tree would require continuing maintenance as limbs died off. He said an expert had previously given the tree only several more years to live.
   "It was about 50 percent dead compared to what it was when it was trimmed the first time," said Mr. Antozzeski. "There was a branch 10 feet long that was broken off and laying across another dead branch."
   Concern about the dead branches had prompted him to ask city commissioners and the police chief to look into removing the tree, said Mr. Antozzeski. He said he believed pre-school children at the nearby First Presbyterian Church, pedestrians and patients of a neighboring dentist’s office could be in danger if a branch fell.
   An early October storm had brought down a branch just before the tree was removed on Oct. 5.
   "We were going to let it take its normal course and the Shade Tree Committee would address it when the proper time came," said City Commissioner James Lynch, director of public safety. "I asked Chief Castagna to get a price on removal because it became a public safety hazard.
   "Weighing those options and knowing that the shade tree budget is limited, I took action and ordered it down."
   Although there had been a communication gap between the city and the Shade Tree Committee on the issue, said Mr. Lynch, he felt his actions were appropriate because they could have prevented an accident.
   "I can’t afford to risk the public’s well-being," he said. "In the future, we will have more communication. I think there was agreement the tree was on its way out."
   Mr. Barker agreed the city and Shade Tree Committee will need to work on better communication in the future.
   "It’s a communication problem which will be positively resolved," said Mr. Barker.
   The Shade Tree Committee plans to maintain at least six to 10 other trees in the city this year and will remove several dead trees in addition to conducting a large annual planting in the spring.