To the editor:
Kudos to the Westwood Taxpayer Alliance (WTA), a group of Central Business District (CBD) property owners who have privately funded the replacement of 14 dead or withering trees along Westwood Avenue. Fourteen decorative Okame cherry trees were removed and replaced.
The original plantings were done as part of the 2015 Streetscapes public-private partnership between the borough and the WTA. The roots of the existing honey locust trees had pushed up the sidewalks, causing multiple trip and fall problems. I happened to witness the bloody aftermath of one such incident involving an elderly pedestrian. That $300,000 refurbishment of trees, tree wells, sidewalks and pavers was funded by our local commercial property owners. The borough’s Department of Public Works provided logistical assistance.
Borough Planner Ed Sneikus, a licensed landscape architect intimately connected to the CBD design elements of the Borough Master Plan, consulted on the original project and was involved in the just-completed tree replacement, which came in at approximately $9,700, with no out-of-pocket costs to Westwood taxpayers.
The WTA worked expeditiously to get this done before the high summer heat set in and before Westwood’s 125th celebratory events began. Their timing was impeccable—and the trees look great. We truly appreciate their ongoing commitment to improving our already thriving CBD.