This Time On Orchard Hill Road—

More Conflict Over Tree Removal

By Andrew Gorosko

Orchard Hill Road area residents upset over the town’s plans to remove trees to improve a section of that narrow, deteriorated street met with five town officials on the morning of July 12 to pose questions about how the road project would affect the neighborhood.

About 30 residents met with the town representatives in the parking lot of The Little Theatre on Orchard Hill Road to air their concerns.

The town had received a petition signed by about 60 Orchard Hill Road area residents, stating: “We…oppose the tree cutting…and demand that you…explain what you are doing and why. We do not want our road widened and straightened to become a major thoroughfare for new development.”

The petition was circulated by Charles Trayford, III, and Toby Tamblyn, both of 11 Orchard Hill Road.

At times, the Orchard Hill Road session became heated, as residents upset over the prospect of a changed neighborhood protested the planned physical changes.

In May, Taunton Lane area residents objected to the town’s plan to remove 91 trees from alongside that narrow street, which links Mt Pleasant Road to Taunton Hill Road, saying that the project would damage the area’s appearance. The Taunton Lane tree removal project is intended to improve public safety. After reviewing the matter, the town reduced the number of trees to be removed from 91 to 84.

Orchard Hill Road area residents’ concerns on July 12 appeared to focus on tree removal damaging the appearance of the wooded area, as well as an improved roadway encouraging more traffic and faster traffic traveling through the area.

Besides handling neighborhood traffic, Orchard Hill Road serves as a shortcut for motorists, linking South Main Street to the Platts Hill Road and the Brushy Hill Road areas.

The town plans to improve an approximately 2,100-foot-long section of Orchard Hill Road extending westward from South Main Street. The work would involve road reconstruction, including the installation of new stormwater drainage structures. The road’s paved area would be widened in some areas. Trees standing alongside the road would be removed as a safety aspect of the project. Motorist sight lines would be increased.

In preparation for the road improvement project, the town has already removed 21 trees that were growing on a large, stony knoll that serves as a large traffic island on Orchard Hill Road, near The Little Theatre. That tree cutting occurred in late June.

That stony knoll would be removed as part of the project. A conventional two-lane road would pass through that area, replacing the current road configuration, which has the westbound lane of Orchard Hill Road lying north of the knoll, and the eastbound lane lying south of the knoll.

Trees Tagged

Tree Warden Mike McCarthy had tagged 54 trees along Orchard Hill Road with red markers for removal in connection with the road improvement project. Most of those trees are on the south side of the street. Oak, maple, birch, elm, and other varieties are slated for removal.

Mr McCarthy said that after meeting with residents on July 12, he agreed that six of those trees should remain standing, leaving 48 trees to be removed for the project. He added, however, that the project may require that some of those six trees be removed.

 Town Engineer Ronald Bolmer said the town wants to create a roadway that is at least 18 to 20 feet wide in the area where improvements are made.

The work is still in the design stage and the construction would be put out to bid by the town, he said.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley said the town has budgeted approximately $160,000 for the improvement project, including road reconstruction, drainage, paving, tree removal, and landscaping.

Mr Hurley said the town’s rights-of-way along Orchard Hill Road extend outward to stone walls lying alongside the street. After removing trees from along the street, the town would plant replacement trees on private property in the area behind those stone walls, if requested, he said.

 First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal said he seeks to balance the competing interests of aesthetics with public safety in accomplishing such a road improvement project.

Residents’ Views

 Ms Tamblyn said Orchard Hill Road area residents are upset about the planned changes. Public notice on the project was inadequate, she said. Residents should have more say over what happens to their neighborhood street, she said.

Mr Rosenthal said that that the trees on the traffic island, which have already been cut down, were properly tagged by the tree warden to provide advance public notice of the cutting.

Ms Tamblyn strongly criticized Mr Rosenthal in a June 30 letter about the road improvement project.

Mr Hurley said he does not expect that an improved Orchard Hill Road would carry more traffic, unless more homes are built in the area.

Several Orchard Hill Road area residents had expressed concerns that an improved road will mean higher, more dangerous travel speeds in the area.

Mr Trayford said the planned changes will damage the area’s character and will not result in safer road conditions.

Ms Tamblyn added that the town’s road improvement plan was not well thought out, saying, “I certainly regret the overdevelopment of the town.” The town formerly was rural/suburban, she said. “That’s why we moved here. It was the best of both worlds,” she said, noting that the town is now clearly suburban.

James Travers of 13 Orchard Hill Road objected to the scope of the project. Orchard Hill Road is a “country lane,” he said. The tree removal and road improvements will damage the visual character of the area, he said. Widening the street will simply make it easier for motorists to drive even faster on it, he said.

Mr Rosenthal said that road sections that are as deteriorated as Orchard Hill Road must be improved as a public safety measure, requiring some tree removal.

On first encountering the unusual traffic island, some motorists have been confused about proper traffic flow there and have driven on the wrong side of the street, posing the potential for serious accidents, the first selectman said.

 “This [project] has been on the books for a long time,” Mr Hurley said of the town’s longstanding plans to improve the 2,100-foot section of Orchard Hill Road. The planned improvements are part of a larger long-term road improvement project on nearby road sections during the past several years, Mr Hurley said.

Mr Hurley said the July 12 session made town officials aware of the various concerns held by area residents.

Mr Bolmer said the meeting was useful in that it informed the public about the town’s plans and it made town officials aware of public sentiment about the project.