Residents press council on falling trees, root cutting and street safety; administration cites existing ordinance and NJDOT project

At the Nov. 6 public comment period residents raised tree-safety and road-surface concerns following recent storms and maintenance work.

Joe Conasenti told the council that trees are falling and he believes root damage from road work and water saturation is a cause. He urged action at the Tulip and Oak intersection, citing speeding and danger to crossing guards and presenting photographs of building deterioration and stump/root conditions. "When you look at the root, it was done by water damage," Conasenti said, arguing that repeated road work had exposed and damaged roots.

Council President Schaer and other officials responded that the council previously passed an ordinance prohibiting workers from cutting tree roots during road repairs and that engineers are actively assessing damaged trees. Schaer said some roads implicated are county or state jurisdiction and noted an NJDOT local transportation improvement project moving forward on Tulip and Oak. The administration also said it ordered a number of portable speed bumps for municipal streets (not permitted on county or state roads) to reduce speeding near schools.

The mayor and staff said the city’s engineer and police will evaluate problem locations and that remedial work will be prioritized; residents were advised to use code enforcement and to document hazards. No new ordinance or emergency measures were adopted at the meeting; officials said assessment and follow-up are underway.