Minutes of Shade Tree Commission Meeting
Wednesday, November 5, 2003

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairman Richard Prentice.

Present were: John Winiarski, Phil Cashman, Bruce Graver, Richard Prentice, Mark Alpert and John Lepper, Tree Warden.

ITEM 1 - Removals

  1. 87 Wheeler Rd. - Elm - 5/0 to remove
  2. 61 Hartford Ave. - Maple - 5/0 to remove
  3. 59 Church St. - Elm - 5/0 to remove
  4. 58 Church St. - Maple - 5/0 to remove
  5. 92 Collier Rd. - Maple - 5/0 to remove
  6. Emerson Williams School - Elm - 5/0 to remove
  7. Tree Warden reported 8 trees removed as result of windstorm on October 15th

ITEM 2 - Minutes

Minutes of the October, 2003 meeting were approved with the following correction: Item 4 Old Business - E - last line "Ace View" should read "Arc View".

ITEM 3 - Communications

  1. Thank you letters were sent to Mr. and Mrs. P. Bryan Chase and Mr. and Mrs. W. Phillips Barlow for their contributions to the Town Tree Fund in memory of W. Thayer Chase. Notices of acknowledgements were sent to Mrs. Ruth Chase.
  2. Letter from James S. Griswold to Town Manager taking Town to task for not recognizing that a tree that blew down in front of his property at 65 Church Street was "hollow and should have been removed years ago."
  3. Mayor Czernicki forwarded a letter to this Commission from DEP awarding Town a 2003 America-the Beautiful grant for landscaping at Charles Wright School.
  4. Douglas Cobb, Imagineering called Tree Warden concerning tree pruning at Mitchell Housing. Gave them approval to prune.
  5. Paul Blanchette, 198 Charter Road, requested removal of two trees. Survey by Town Engineering Department and site inspection by Tree Warden found the trees to be on Blanchette property.
  6. Tree Warden reported several calls from citizens looking for assistance. One caller was referred to Human Services for assistance.

ITEM 4 - Old Business

  1. Tree Warden attended Inland/Wetlands and Water Course Commission hearing for MDC Sewer Project on Ridge Road. He reported the Commission approved the application for the sewer line to run in back of property to be served. This follows the original proposed course. Tree Commission should schedule a walk-through of project.
  2. Nott Street Reconstruction Project, running behind schedule. Tree Warden has started discussion with Town Manager relative to hiring a consultant to assess the damage done to Town owned trees. Town Manager has requested the Commission purchase a Dogwood tree for replacement of a tree at 712 Nott Street that was not to have been removed. The Commission voted 5/0 to purchase and plant a Dogwood tree next spring at 712 Nott Street.

ITEM 5 - New Business

  1. Tree Warden reviewed plans with the Commission for drainage reconstruction and road resurfacing of Church Street from Silas Deane Highway to Main Street. Several trees will have to be removed. Two of these trees were approved above.
  2. Tree Warden reminded Commission it is time to start planning for spring plantings. We should plan to tag and order trees in February.
  3. Chairman Prentice read a memo from Peter Gillespie, Town Planner and Economic Development Manager, relative to a meeting to discuss plans for conversion of Stillman Building into offices for Board of Education. Prentice will attend the meeting.

Having no further business to conduct, the Commission meeting was adjourned at 8:32 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

John C. Lepper
Tree Warden/Secretary Pro-Tem