Full Text:

Park Trees Removed As A Safety Measure

(with cut)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Remember the huge pine trees that towered high above the tennis courts at

Dickinson Park? They're gone.

The Parks & Recreation maintenance crew cut down about 15-20 of the 85-foot

trees last week after concerns were raised about the safety risk they

presented. In January, one of the trees came down in a storm, crushing a large

section of the court's fencing and landing just a few yards from a playground.

Officials did not want a similar incident happening on a warm, sunny day when

the park is filled with people.

"Those trees were very old and very high and our biggest concern was that one

of them would fall while we had tennis players there," explained P&R Director

Barbara Kasbarian.

The Parks & Recreation Commission recently voted to have the trees removed

following a recommendation by Park Maintenance Supervisor Ron Moffat.

Tree warden John Mead recently discovered that some of the giant trees were

diseased. Adding to the risk, Mr Moffat said that as more and more trees fall,

the ground in the area becomes less and less resistant, opening the way for

even more trees to fall.

Mrs Kasbarian said needles from the trees were always landing on the court,

requiring constant maintenance.

The trees had created a buffer between the old section of Dickinson Park and

the 13-acre parcel adjacent to the park, which the town recently acquired from

the Amaral family. The land will be used for passive recreation and

ballfields.

Mrs Kasbarian said the Parks & Recreation plans to eventually plant shrubs or

bushes in place of the trees.

The removal of the trees has nothing to do with any decision on the kinds of

ballfields that will be built on the newly acquired property, Mrs Kasbarian

said.