Edgartown selectmen approve tree removal on South Water Street

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Edgartown selectmen agreed Monday to the the removal of four trees on the corner of 101 South Water Street and Dunham Road.

General contractor Gerret Conover of Conover Restoration presented selectmen with plans to restore the house and carriage house at that address. The property was sold last spring.

“It’s a very nice looking project, but its been a challenging project,” Mr. Conover said.

As part of the approved restoration plan, “a sickly maple tree,”  and three sycamore trees “at the end of their life” will be replaced with Siberian elms.

“I love trees more than anyone on the planet,” Mr. Conover said. “The only reason the request was made here is the spacing is tight, and we’re more worried about the future and the health of the trees going forward.”

Selectman Arthur Smadbeck asked if NSTAR needed to sign off on the tree removal due to the size and proximity of the tree branches to power lines.

Mr. Conover said NSTAR’s approval was not necessary.

“It sounds like a pretty good plan for the future for this area, and putting up these unusually large trees is probably a benefit for the town,” Mr. Smadbeck said.

Selectmen also approved a request to replace the sidewalk along 101 South Water Street. Mr. Conover said the entire sidewalk will be replaced with brick, pending the approval of highway superintendent Stuart Fuller.

The sidewalk replacement will be done in March, Mr. Conover said.

Also Monday, selectmen approved a request from Jefferson Mercier of Harborside Inn Condominium Trust to block part of the sidewalk at 10 Main Street, across from The Wharf restaurant and bar, to replace the siding on the building.

The project, weather permitting, will take five days to complete, Mr. Mercier said.