Tree trimming on Skokorat Street this week (photo by Jean Falbo-Sosnovich)
SEYMOUR — The town started removing between 30 to 40 trees this week in an effort to protect the power grid from any upcoming storms.
Downed trees knocking out power lines — and the electricity supply to homes and businesses — is a common occurrence in Seymour.
The Naugatuck Valley got slammed by Hurricane Ida last September, leaving hundreds of residents without power and in the dark for hours, due to downed trees on power lines. In 2020, Tropical Storm Isaias packed an even bigger punch, leaving more than 3,000 Seymour residents without power for days, which prompted town officials at the time to blast Eversource for being unprepared in its response.
There’s been an effort by the utility company, and now the town, to get rid of trees that have been deemed “hazardous.”
A local contractor, Out on a Limb, has been taking trees down in various parts of town, including on Skokorat, Day and Pearl streets, Buckingham and Haddad roads, William Lane and at French Park.
None of the trees flagged were in front of residents’ homes, according to First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis. Most of the trees being removed are dead and are located on town-owned road lines that could impede power lines.
The job is costing about $50,000, officials said.
In Seymour, jobs over $25,000 are supposed to go out to bid.
However, the Seymour Board of Selectman unanimously voted on Tuesday, (Aug. 16) to bypass the bid requirement, saying they could not wait to get the work started due to the condition of the trees.
Town Attorney Richard Buturla said there is a provision in the ordinance that allows the board to waive the bidding process under certain circumstances.
“The tree warden flagged a number of trees as hazardous, so the sooner you take them down the better,” Buturla told the board.
Drugonis said the town will use money from the state’s Local Capital Improvement Program to pay the bill.
Seymour has been using LOCIP grants since 1988, and in the last three years they added a program for hazardous tree removal, due to the severity of storms that have been hitting the state over the last decade.
