Politics & Government

Hamden Council Committee Approves Hiring Arborist

United Illuminating's Enhanced Tree Trimming program prompted the proposal.




Town officials want to make sure any tree removed from around utility poles truly needs to be gone before any action is taken.

To that end, the Legislative Council's Administrative Committee approved spending up to $25,000 to hire a part-time arborist to work with United Illuminating in determining which trees will be removed as part of its "Enhanced Tree Trimming" program.

The town has a tree warden who will work with the arborist, Chief Administrative Officer Curt Balzano Leng said. 

"We feel we need the expertise of an arborist with experience in tree issues," Leng said. "The town's position is that this has gone too far."

But, he said there are some trees that should be taken down because they are not thriving, and the town welcomes help with those trees, he said. Otherwise, if a tree is healthy, a process needs to be followed to determine its fate, he said.

Council President Jim Pascarella, who also represents the eighth district, said he has been inundated with calls from residents concerned about the removal of desirable trees. But, he said, to his knowledge none of those calls have come from anyone who lives on a targeted street.

"I would like to see the list of tagged trees made public," Pascarella said. Property owners who own the trees are live adjacent to trees on public land need to be notified in writing by both the town and United Illuminating before any action is taken, he said.

"It's a struggle to balance the interests of the town with private property rights," he said.

United Illuminating, in its forum on the program Jan. 15, cited a state statute that allows it to carry out the program, Councilman-at-Large Austin Cesare said. The council should be approaching its state delegation, including Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, to get that law changed, he said.

Next Monday the proposal to allocate the funds goes to the full council.


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