MOUNTAINSIDE — On Wednesday, the Mountainside Council had a heated discussion about potential revisions to the borough’s tree-replacement ordinance that centered around finance and structure.
The ordinance, if approved, would require residents to either replace any trees that they need to remove from their properties with new ones or pay a pre-determined fine.
Disagreement occurred regarding the number of trees removed that would require a permit, and while the drafted ordinance changed the number to four, it was suggested that the number of trees to be removed is five trees per property.
“One of the concerns is that we do not have a fee when a citizen has to file an application (before taking) down trees,” Borough Attorney John Post said. “It does take the staff time to process the application.”
The second concern regarding the ordinance is that, according to Mr. Post, one of the borough staff members who processes the applications suggested that if one wishes to “replace a tree that has been taken down, then that person can make that payment to the borough’s tree fund. That is the extent of the borough’s tree fund, whereas the staff voiced how [does the staff] go about determining how much that should be.”
There was a lengthy debate on how much it would cost to replace the tree from one’s property, as the cost varies by the size of the tree and the type of tree. One example is that for small trees, there will not be much contribution as compared to bigger trees. Therefore, the cost for the tree replacement and how it will be funded is not set in stone. The scheduling of the process to remove and replace the trees has also yet to be determined. The final decisions will be discussed further at the next council meeting.
There were two proclamations addressed by the council at Wednesday’s meeting. The first concerned Children’s Grief Awareness, including recognition of November as Children’s GriefAwareness Month and Thursday, November 21, as Children’s Grief Awareness Day. Both were created to bring attention to the needs of children who are grieving and the benefits they obtain through the support of others. Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss, incorporated in October 2011, provides a safe space for children and families who have experienced the death of a loved one. Its mission is to ensure that no one grieves alone by providing peer-support groups for children and young adults as well as groups for parents and guardians of youngsters participating in the program; grief education and training for schools, community organizations, business access in the State of New Jersey and beyond. For more information, visit imaginenj.org.
The second proclamation celebrated the 107th birthday of Marie Eleanor Russell. Born on November 9, 1917, in Scranton, Pa., Mrs. Russell lived through the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1917 and has been able to maintain good health throughout her life by taking daily walks and drinking only spring water. She and her late husband, Alexander Russell, built a thriving family business in Linden, owning two businesses: Russell Wedding and Portrait Studio, and Russell Bridal Gowns and Russell Tuxedoes. Mrs. Russell has three children, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Today, Mrs. Russell resides at Mountainside Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, where she is known by both faculty and residents as “106”.
The next meeting of the Mountainside mayor and council will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26, at the municipal building on US Route 22.
