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Residents urge district to address hazardous trees behind Old Farm Road homes; ask board to contact utilities
Summary
Residents of Old Farm Road thanked the district for tree removals at two properties but said hazardous trees remain along the block, causing property damage, repeated power outages and safety concerns; they asked the district to contact PECO, Comcast and Verizon about downed wires and remaining trees.
Residents of the Wincoat neighborhood asked the board for help after a series of storms left hazardous trees and damaged wires behind homes on Old Farm Road. Speakers thanked the district for tree removal at two properties but said trees remain behind several houses and that utilities have not responded to residents’ requests.
The topic matters because residents said the remaining trees continue to cause power outages and property damage and that older residents on the block may be unable to evacuate quickly in a storm. They asked the district to contact PECO, Comcast and Verizon to resolve remaining wiring hazards and to coordinate additional removals.
Michelle Still thanked the district for removing hazardous trees from two properties — 304 and 306 Old Farm Road — but said “it would be wrong for me to stand here and say that the project is completed” because other hazardous trees remain on the block. She said more than 30 neighbors signed a petition expressing concern and that damage and insurance gaps have imposed financial burdens on families.
Still described continuing power outages during storms and said last Thanksgiving her household lost power and she was unable to host due to the outage. She said contractors from a utility vendor appeared at properties to assess wires without prior notice to residents. She asked the district to contact PECO, Comcast and Verizon; “we need your help to reach out to Comcast, PECO, and Verizon,” she told the board.
Neighbor Doris Pitts said the district’s property — Cedarbrook Middle School land adjacent to the block — requires upkeep analogous to what residents must perform on their own lots. Pitts said she routinely sleeps downstairs during storms for safety now and asked the district to be responsible for the trees on its property that threaten residents’ homes.
The board acknowledged the residents’ statements and thanked them for raising the issues; no formal board action was recorded at the meeting and residents said they will follow up with photos and requests for district coordination with utility companies.
Residents asked the district to help secure removal of remaining hazardous trees and reconnection or removal of wires that remain in yards.
