Hylton to Spend $20K on Street Tree Maintenance

Photos by Evan Brandt

This large stump in front of 353 King St. will be removed by Hylton's contractor at a cost of $570.

Borough council will vote Monday whether to allow Thomas Hylton to remove and replace 16 street trees, trim eight more and remove 21 stumps at a cost of more than $20,000.

The work will be done primarily on Beech, North Charlotte, North Hanover, High and King Streets.

That cost will be borne by Hylton and his wife Frances at no cost to the borough.

This large stump in front of 223 N. Charlotte St. will also be removed.

The street tree work will be undertaken by the Davey Tree Expert Co. under the direction of a certified arborist, according to an e-mail Hylton sent to Interim Borough Manager Justin Keller on Jan. 2.

Although all the trees and stumps in question are in the public right-of-way, and thus do not require the permission of the property owners, Hylton told council at the Jan. 2 meeting that he will send letters to the property owners ahead of time.

The letters will outline the work, and include a phone number and email address for anyone with concerns to contact Hylton.

The proposal mirrors one on which council acted last year, allowing Hylton to remove 32 dead street trees, 36 stumps and plant 48 new trees at a cost of more than $40,000 — money borough taxpayers did not have to spend.

Hylton, who was voted out of office as a member of the Pottstown School board in November, was for many years the chairman of the former Pottstown Shade Tree Commission until it was disbanded by council in 2010.