Dead trees pose potential danger, search is on for interim town administrator

Aug. 21, 2019 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

HAMPDEN – Tree Warden Dana Pixley provided a bleak view of the trees in Hampden when he came before the Select Board on Aug. 19. Select Board Chair John Flynn said Pixley had spoken him previously regarding the increase in trees that need attention in town.

The town has experienced an “unusually high tree mortality,” due to last year’s abundant infestation of gypsy moths, said Pixley. He called it “the worst I’ve ever seen it,” in 30 years as tree warden.

Pixley has cataloged the trees in town that need to be removed. In an average year, between 30 and 50 trees need to be removed, while the budget generally allows for the removal of 25 to 30 trees.

This year 370 trees on town property are in need of removal.

“The cost is going to be enormous,” Pixley said. Based on estimates from local tree companies, Pixley said, his estimate was upwards of $400,000 to remove the trees, many of which will require the use of a crane. Just three trees, which did not interfere with power lines, were quoted at $2,500.

National Grid usually takes down trees that pose a risk of interfering with the power lines. Pixley said; this year, the company will only remove trees that are an immediate hazard to “three-phase lines” because of the sheer volume of trees that need to come down in its service areas.

He created a map of the town’s trees and said the priority would be to remove trees that would block access for emergency vehicles if they were to fall. There are 25 trees of this kind on Cross Road alone, said Pixley.

The cost of tree removal could be even higher than in other years due to new requirements. Pixley explained that in the past, municipalities have been exempt from OSHA regulations, but not anymore.

“We can’t just go out and work with a tree crew anymore,” Pixley said. If the town works with the tree crew, the town takes on liability for any of the crew’s equipment violations.

Another issue is the removal of the trees once they are down. Normally,  Pixley said, the highway department cleans up trees after they are felled. In this case, he said, it would be unfair for the Highway Department to have to clean up so many trees. If they hire the job out, the cost will increase, Pixley noted.

When asked by a resident, Pixley said taking down limbs could help in the short-term but the town would have to spend the money twice because the majority of the tree will still have to come down.

“I don’t think that it’s effective,” said Pixley. He also mentioned that the logs from the felled trees would not be suitable for sale as lumber because the wood is already dead and the town may have to pay to have some of the excess wood hauled away.

The good news, Pixley said, is that the dead trees are mostly Red and White Oaks, which are structurally strong. He said dead trees of this kind take approximately six months after their death to begin to fall.

Pixley said he has spoken with five or six other towns and has discussed the idea of contacting state Senator Eric Lesser to get state funding.

Flynn asked Pixley to make a list of trees that would cut off access to a road. He also said that the town would continue pursuing help from Lesser.

Flynn wanted the warden to triage the trees into three categories: immediate danger of closing a road, greater likelihood of falling, and the likelihood of falling a year or more in the future. Pixley said that kind of categorization wasn’t a possibility beyond those trees that would close roads.

Pixley said tree work can be done year-round, so if the town appropriates money for the work at the Oct. 28 special town meeting, it can be used immediately. Flynn said the Select Board will work with the Advisory Committee on a fall Warrant article.

Robert Markel, former mayor of Springfield, was brought in to advise the search for a replacement town administrator and the appointment of an interim town administrator. His advice was sought during the last town administrator search. Markel has worked as an interim town administrator for seven separate towns in the state.

Markel answered questions from the Board and residents. He said search firms offer outreach in the field, in that they know which current town administrators want to move, who’s unhappy, and whose contract will not be renewed.

Selectman Donald Davenport inquired as to whether a town administrator can be permanently part-time. Markel said some municipalities have merged, with one administrator for two towns. The benefits of this arrangement are a higher salary but less expense for each town.

Zebert, who prefaced his remarks by saying that he was trying not to be mean, asked if Markel thought the town administrator should be transparent with people in town rather than just answering to the Select Board.

“Sharing information from the top-down makes a lot of sense and certainly increases morale,” said Markel. He said that in the past he has written a newsletter for one town and a blog for another to keep the residents informed.

Flynn asked if Markel was currently employed with a town, which he isn’t. Markel said his position as an interim town administrator is part-time and legally restricted to 960 hours per year. He said his usual approach to the job was to identify the goals of the Select Board and what he is expected to accomplish.

After Markel left, four residents expressed support for hiring him as the interim town administrator. Eva Wiseman, town clerk and tax collector, said that you should not hire him because she knew of another person in town interested in the position. Davenport also said he knew of someone interested.

Interviews for the interim town administrator have been scheduled for the next weekly meeting on Aug. 26.

The Planning Board sat down with the Select Board to discuss mixed-use zoning.

When asked what mixed-use zoning would look like in town, an example was given of businesses with apartments above. It was mentioned that other towns have renovated mills for a similar purpose.

A possible site for mixed-use zoning would be the Overlay District on Somers Road, extending on to East Longmeadow and Wilbraham Roads, the Planning Board stated.

The discussion moved on an update of the town’s master plan, which was last updated in 1982. One of the members of the Planning Board, who had sat on a master plan committee in Ludlow, called it “a herculean effort.”

An updated master plan can help towns qualify for grants, though it does not guarantee funds, the Planning Board said.

If the town were only to update parts of the master plan, “affordable housing plan is a lot less intense but it does help you qualify for grants” said a member of the Planning Board. Flynn said getting the affordable housing plan would be an appropriate use of CPA funds.

“If you want the townspeople to vote for something you have to have a picture of what they’re voting for,” said resident and Conservation Commission member Ted Zebert. He said piecemeal updates for the plan without tying them together into a cohesive picture would pose a problem.

As an example, Zebert said, if the town updates zoning, the streets have to be updated, and if the streets are updated, the town needs to put in sidewalks.

There’s been movement on the controversial Cumberland Farms property in town. Wendel Hulbert, the building inspector, sent a letter to Westborough-based Cumberland Farms along with pictures of a hole in the roof and other structural issues. Cumberland Farms then sent a contractor out and said they would contact Hulbert by mid-week with a plan.

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