After listening to Steve Connelly, the developer of the Hendries property, make his argument for removing the large black oak that sits on the Eliot street side of the property, the planning board voted 3-2 to have an independent arborist examine it.
Mr. Connelly read from a letter written by the arborist he had hired to examine the tree, George Ackerson in which Mr. Ackerson states that the tree is too damaged to save and he recommends its removal. Mr. Connelly also passed out photos of the tree and read from an article in Boston.com – Your Town Milton:
But the Hendries oak, which he estimated to be at least 100 years old, has been poorly maintained, is full of dead branches, and is likely to have a lot of decay inside, Ackerson said.
It would be fine in a different setting, he said, but, because the tree is so close to the sidewalk and street, it poses a danger to pedestrians and motorists. (Read the full article here.)
Connelly’s purpose in reading article was to emphasize that Ackerman was giving a judgement independent of working for Connelly. His work for Connelly and the letter he wrote were back in July. The Globe reporter, Joanna Seltz, spoke to him about a week ago.
Connelly did not bring the arborist to the meeting because he did not believe that his presence would do anything to persuade the board, citing comments Mr. Whiteside had made at the previous session to that effect.
While acknowledging Mr. Ackerman’s credentials, member Pete Jackson, who is in favor of the tree remaining on the property, felt an independent assessment was warranted. Alex Whiteside and Emily Innes agreed. (Please see Mr. Jackson’s comment below regarding his position.) Bernie Lynch, who noted that he does work for Mr. Connelly and spoke with Town Clerk and ethics official, said people would be “shocked” at the condition of the tree. “I was shocked when I saw it.” And Mr. Duffy added that he “would not want to be standing under it during a storm with the wind blowing the way it has been the last couple of days.” They voted against the motion for an independent arborist.
Mr. Connelly objected to the need for another opinion and said he would like to be part of that process. Mr. Whiteside replied, ” We need an independent arborist and that’s what we are going to do.”