David Kilby, Managing Editor
CRANBURY If a tree falls in the middle of Main Street, who should pick it up?
A large tree that fell on North Main Street sparked a debate over who should be getting rid of fallen trees in the township. The aftermath of Hurricane Irene left many other trees down in the township as well.
The Cranbury Township Committee and township attorney discussed the laws and legal procedures behind removing fallen trees at the committee meeting Sept. 12.
If a tree falls on a property, it’s the owner’s responsibility unless he or she was negligent, said Steve Goodell, township attorney.
”If you got something (a tree) that’s going to be a problem, you ought to take care of it,” he said.
”We need a consistent policy,” Mayor Winthrop Cody said. “Do we as a township want to take responsibility for how the right of way is defined?”
The committee discussed whether it could get the county to remove fallen trees.
”The county is not budging,” said Denise Marabello, township business administrator. “They have no budget or manpower for it. They will not come out to remove a tree that has fallen.”
When a tree falls down on the public right of way, the township usually has a tree service get rid of it, but with so many trees down from Hurricane Irene, the service has become a budget issue.
Typically, the township’s Shade Tree Commission takes care of township trees, but it does not have the budget for this project either.
Committeeman Dave Cook made a motion for the committee to authorize the township administration to spend money it wouldn’t have otherwise spent in order to get rid of the tree in front of 46 N. Main St., and Committeeman James Taylor seconded it.
The committee passed the motion in a 3-2 vote with Committeeman Glenn Johnson and Committeeman Dan Mulligan voting no.
