Council hands out $30K for tree care
POTTSTOWN >> Nine years ago, borough council dissolved the 56-year-old Shade Tree Commission and put authority over the borough’s street trees into the hands of council and borough staff.
Prior to dissolving the Shade Tree Commission, the borough budgeted a $21,000 a year contribution to Trees Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining Pottstown’s street trees, from 2000 to 2007.
Since then, the borough has continued to collect money from developers who would rather pay for trees elsewhere then plant the number of number of trees the zoning ordinance requires on their property.
The borough’s tree fund, which
Borough Solicitor Charles D. Ganrner Jr. said can legally only be used on street trees, has amassed about $30,000 but the borough has spent none of it on maintaining existing street trees.
With a unanimous vote Monday night, council handed that money over to an entity that has been doing that job for the past several years.
After receiving a proposal from former shade tree commission chairman Thomas Hylton, council agreed Monday night to transfer the money to the Pottstown Tree Fund.
Originally called Trees Inc. the Pottstown Tree Funds it is a non-profit entity that in 2016 merged with Save Our Land, Save Our Towns, also founded by Hylton, who is currently also a member of the planning commission and the school board.
Since 1984, Trees Inc. had planted more than 1,900 new trees; 700 replacement trees; removed about 300 stumps; trimmed roughly 11,000 trees and remediated 431 sidewalks damaged by trees, all at a cost of about $1.1 million.
According to its website, The Tree Fund is a volunteer organization, with no paid staff, overhead, or administrative expenses. All work is contracted out.
In the past few years, Hylton and his wife Frances have used more than $250,000 of their own money to maintain street trees and remove and replace dead ones, Hylton told council at the Feb. 6 work session.
In 2018, he informed council he would remove and replace 16 dead street trees, trim eight more and remove 21 stumps by spending $20,000 of his own money.
Council accepted an offer from Hylton to spend $50,000 in 2017 for similar purposes.
Under the proposal approved Wednesday by council the Pottstown Tree Fund will now use money from the borough fund to maintain street trees on High, King, Hanover and Beech streets.
It will also remove dead trees and treat ash trees in the public right of way to resist the emerald ash borer, an invasive insect species.
In 2014, Trees Inc. treated 129 ash trees at a cost of about $19,000, but the treatments have to be undertaken every two years to be effective.
A single treatment for a single trees costs $350 to $400.
“I’m a Tom Hylton supporter,” said Councilman Joe Kirkland. “I think he’s been doing a good job with the trees and he will do a good job with this.”
Responding to a question, Borough Manager Justin Keller said Hylton had provided a very detailed accounting of how Pottstown Tree Fund money has been spent on tree maintenance.
“My. Hylton, you have our money,” said Council President Dean Weand after the vote.