The West Windsor Council introduced an ordinance to change the name of the Shade Tree Committee to the Shade Tree Commission as a means to protect both the township and its volunteer Shade Tree members from liability suits, possibly resulting from damage caused by downed or uprooted trees.
The measure would still call for the group’s five members to be appointed by the mayor, with recommendations from council.##M:[more]##
Changing the name does mean, though, that those volunteers would serve five-year terms, as opposed to the current three-year terms. The move also requires that one township staff member and at least one Shade Tree member go through core training, which township landscape architect Dan Dobromilsky says should not be a problem because he, as well as four of the Shade Tree members, are certified accordingly. The group would also have to elect a secretary. A hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for Monday, April 7.
The council also introduced an ordinance to allow residents to let their dogs run at large, unleashed, within the dog parks in Community Park. No dogs are allowed to be unleashed in any other public area. A hearing is on April 7.
The council also has rescinded its proposal to spend $300 to test wells at the township-owned compost site, after Business Administrator Chris Marion reported that the township’s Environmental Commission found that “just to check the nature and extent of the contamination at a compost station would cost somewhere between $50,”000 and $100,”000 more” than the $300 originally suggested by a few residents a few months ago. The council is holding off on well testing until a full plan is in place with the state Department of Environmental Protection.
