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New Britain Borough is dedicated to becoming a walkable
community. To this end, we have obtained well over a million
dollars in grant funding to build sidewalks and bike and hike paths
which enable people to walk and ride bikes for exercise and to
reduce dependence on automobiles.
We established a Shade Tree Commission to develop and care
for street trees along sidewalks and trails. Among the goals of the
commission are:
• Conserve and protect the existing trees.
• Ensure that planned developments include suitable trees and
shrubs to meet the borough’s development requirements.
• Plant suitable trees along sidewalks and Bike and Hike trails
to provide shade, buffer traffic noise, and reduce pollution.
The New Britain Borough Planning Commission has laid out
in a general way the street scape along the sidewalks and paths.
This would include benches and sitting areas and other amenities
such as drinking fountains and bike maintenance stations where
practical. The Street Tree Committee will help plan the details of
how this will be carried out.
Our first project was the two islands on either side of the
Post Office on Butler Avenue. The islands had dead and dying
trees. We obtained some grant funding, some donations from
individuals, and some Borough funds. Grants for almost anything
require some cash, and to encourage donations, we’ve established
a charity, Friends of New Britain Parks. (Money given through this
portal qualifies as a charitable contribution on your tax return, and
donors can place restrictions on what it can be used for).
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and Tree
Tenders
PHS’s Tree Tender Program teaches people how to plant and
care for trees. The Borough’s Shade Tree Commission is partnering
with the PHS to encourage homeowners to plant trees along the
sidewalks and B&H trails
Under this program interested Borough Residents can take
a short course to obtain training in trees planting and tree care
through. Ideally, it’s in person training in Philadelphia, but if that’s
not possible for you, they also offer a virtual program.
The next training program is Wednesdays May 10, 17, and 24,
from 6 to 8:30 PM. There will be another program in the fall.
With completion of the training, you will join three other
Borough Tree Tenders, and become one of over 6,000 volunteers
who have gone through the program. Tree Tenders living in our
Borough work to encourage and help residents choose suitable
trees and to plant them along the sidewalks. We planted 14 trees
last fall, and this spring we’ll plant 20 more. It works like this:
We choose a section of the Borough, in this case Keeley Avenue,
Butler Avenue to Lenape. We assist you in selecting trees for your
lot. They must be planted within 10 feet of the sidewalk. You
select the trees you would like to have from our list. The trees are
sorted by their ultimate size. Small trees reach 20 to 30 feet when
mature and are ideal under power lines. Medium trees 30-50 feet
are suitable if the overhead lines are just communication lines, and
the biggest trees that reach 60-70 feet are suitable where there is
nothing overhead. We’ll look at your location and help you decide
what size is suitable.
Applications for the Fall Planting will open later this open this
summer. Contact New Britain Borough now to be put on the list
for notification of the program.
The cost of the trees this Spring was $60 per tree. This price is
subsidized by other’s donations to PHS. The trees aren’t little sticks,
they are 8 to 12 foot tall. You can see the ones we planted last
fall along North Tamenend Ave. You’ll recognize them by the two
stakes which stabilize the trees through mid-summer.
A couple of weeks before the delivery of the trees, we’ll have
PA One Call come out and mark the underground water, gas and
electric lines in your yard (obviously you don’t want to lose the
tree if the utilities have to be dug up at some point). Other than
that, you choose where you want to plant them.
A few days before planting, Fran Dougherty, of Dougherty
Landscaping, donated the time equipment and labor to drill 36”
diameter holes. Later, Trained Tree Tenders, with the help of the
Boy Scouts of Troop 36, will do some hand digging and enlarge the
hole as necessary and assure that the tree is planted at the proper
depth. We prune roots that are crossed, spread the roots out
radially, and enlarge the hole as necessary. Lastly, we fill and tamp
the hole, pound two stakes (which we supply) into the ground to
brace the tree and tidy up the area. The homeowner removes the
grass we dug up, and supplies bucket of water to start the tree on
its way in its new home. That’s it! Other than weekly watering the
tree from early spring through the fall leaf drop for the first two
years, you’re done.
We live in the neighborhood, so if you have any questions, we
will be glad to stop by.
In addition to the Shade Tree Program, the Borough’s 2020
Comprehensive plan has recommended benches every 1/4 mile
along the sidewalks and trails. The sidewalk is completed from
the railroad tracks to Shady retreat road. There is one existing
bench by the Post office, so the Comprehensive Plan suggests
four additional benches. The plan also recommends some “Pocket
parks” along the sidewalks and trails.
We’re planning to plant trees along Butler Avenue, together with
some miniparks,
An important part of walkability are places to sit. While they are
only a convenience for many, they’re a necessity for others. We are
looking into a PECO grant which requires a 50% match. Friends of
New Britain Parks currently has over $2,000 in donations earmarked
for the project, but we’ll need about $6-8,000 dollars more.
The Shade Tree Commission also interfaces with the Arbor
Day Foundation. The Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and
education organization with nearly one million members, with a
mission to inspire people to plant, celebrate and nurture trees.
As part of that, the Foundation awards a Tree City Designation
to municipalities who meet their standards and goals for planting
trees.
Peter LaMontagne, Council President
lamontagnep@newbritainboro.com
News from New Britain Borough’s Shade Tree Commission