Tree removal policy should be consistent
Also, Beede members should be allowed some pool access during weekend swim meets.
On October 21, the Select Board approved 3-1 the removal of a 24” DBH (diameter at breast height) public shade tree, a healthy Norway spruce, because the tree happened to be mostly situated on private property. The property owner preferred it removed for new construction, even as they acknowledged that the construction was also possible with the tree intact.
The Select Board then approved that the town — i.e., the public — would pay for the removal of the tree that was just treated as private because of its physical location.
This is a problem.
In an earlier, different case elsewhere in town, the Select Board was justifiably discouraged from allowing the removal of a viable public shade tree, where the main reason then would have been that the applicant was willing to pay for tree’s removal. That would have been a pay-to-play policy to remove a public amenity. Whereas on October 21, permission was granted because the tree was mostly on private land. The owner of the property should then have been responsible for removal costs. (The tree may even have stayed as a result.)
On a different note: The Beede Center has begun to implement a policy of closing all pools for both full days on some weekends in order to accommodate several swim meets in a more consolidated manner. In the past such closures were shorter and spread out, allowing all members some access to pools during swim meet days.
Committed Beede Center members count on regular pool use, whether as a need or a main attraction, for signing up in the first place. Membership service should be prioritized by having some pool access all weekends that the Beede Center is open. If you agree, please let the Beede administration know.
Tanya Gailus
Prescott Road
