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Residents, council advisers raise concern after contractor plans to cut Allen Street trees for county EV chargers
Summary
Hudson Conservation Advisory Council members discussed a contractor notice to cut two trees on Allen Street to install electric vehicle chargers at the county courthouse, and reviewed limits of municipal authority and possible responses.
Members of the Hudson Conservation Advisory Council discussed a notice that a contractor for National Grid intends to cut two mature trees on Allen Street to run electrical service for county courthouse electric-vehicle charging stations.
The council discussed its limited jurisdiction over right-of-way decisions and urged communication with county officials. Margaret Morris, identified in the meeting as the council member for the First Ward, said she had been looking into the matter; she and others reported the county project planners told residents the trees “are in the way.” Randall Martin, introduced at the meeting as the new First Ward supervisor, was reported to have been contacted by Morris and is pursuing the issue at the county level.
Council members said the tree-cutting request appears to stem from the county’s decision to add charging capacity at the courthouse and that National Grid’s subcontractor had informed property owners of the planned removals. Council members noted jurisdictional limits: the utility/right-of-way rules governing such work may constrain what the city or the advisory council can do. The council suggested the county supervisor and county officials are the appropriate channels for requests to change routing or consider alternatives such as running lines via an alley or incurring higher costs to avoid trees.
Members discussed options the advisory council could take, including offering incentives or creative solutions to preserve the trees and contacting historic-preservation actors for input if a tree ordinance is developed. Several council members said the matter also raises questions about whether local tree-ordinance enforcement or restitution mechanisms could apply in future similar cases.
No formal action was taken by the advisory council at the meeting; members agreed to support communication between the First Ward supervisor and county planners and to monitor the situation.
Ending: Council members said they will follow the county’s response and consider whether tree-ordinance language or a restitution mechanism should be proposed to the City of Hudson to strengthen local protections in comparable future projects.
