FREEHOLD — The streets of Freehold Borough will look different soon, as almost 100 trees will be removed in an effort to keep residents and property safe.
Officials recently awarded a contract to Chestnut Arbor and Forestry Services, Old Bridge, to perform the tree removal work.
Bids for the project were received from Chestnut Arbor and Forestry Services, ($133,380), Falkinburg’s Tree Expert Co., ($154,300), Drago Services, ($243,313), Perna Construction, ($249,900), and National Tree Care, ($383,320).
According to a resolution passed by the Borough Council, “the borough has one of the more significant inventories of shade trees throughout the county of Monmouth.”
The resolution states that “the recent remnants of Hurricane Sandy had a profound impact on the health and sustainability of the borough of Freehold’s shade tree inventory, necessitating an expeditious contract to remove many of the hazardous trees.”
Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina said 128 trees will be serviced by the contractor; 93 trees will be removed and the remainder are slated for “dramatic trimming.”
Trees will be removed and trimmed on various streets, including Cottage Place, Fulton Street, Lincoln Place, Ford Avenue, Institute Street, McLean Street, Barkalow Avenue and Brinkerhoff Avenue.
The tops of some trees on West George Street have already been trimmed, and Bellina said that what is left of those trees will be removed in the upcoming weeks.
In other recent business, a contract was awarded to Slammin Canz, of Monroe Township, for the ecological operation of the public works service center.
A council resolution states that officials have determined a need exists to engage the services of a company to grind and dispose of brush that has been and continues to be gathered by employees of the borough’s Streets and Roads Department.
Slammin Canz will provide the equipment and manpower necessary to grind the debris and haul the ground-up material out of the borough. The firm will reuse the ground-up material as mulch and in consideration for the product, will not charge the borough to remove the material.
According to the resolution, potential bidders were asked to offer a monthly rental fee to use the public works service center in order to perform this service. Slammin Canz submitted the only bid and offered to pay Freehold Borough $100 per month to provide the equipment and manpower.