Judging from the piles of brush and tree debris still lingering on the sidewalks and streets of West Windsor, some residents may feel that Superstorm Sandy was a total disaster for the township.
Those piles of debris are unprecedented in size. In fact, township officials now estimate that only about half of the West Windsor streets have been cleared. Mayor Hsueh reported on November 28 that the township had removed 313 truckloads of brush since the storm hit — compared to 167 in the same period last year. It may take another two or three months to clear the rest. Even then, trees that have fallen in the township’s nearly 1,700 acres of open space will still need to be cleared.
But West Windsor Township landscape architect Dan Dobromilsky, speaking at the November 28 meeting of the West Windsor Shade Tree Commission, shared some data that showed that the town’s trees fared quite well against the onslaught of Superstorm Sandy. Dobromilsky, who drove through every street in West Windsor following Sandy’s visit, announced that some 90 “street trees” had been blown over in the storm. Another 65 or so were damaged to the point where they would have to be taken down, he said. And another 150 or so sustained damage that will require pruning.
That’s a total of about 300 trees out of an estimated total of 20,000 trees that line the streets, most located between the curb and the sidewalk.
In addition, Dobromilsky told the Shade Tree Commission, the storm only damaged about 1,000 square feet of sidewalk. “We were very fortunate,” he said, “and there was no damage to township buildings.”
The continuing challenge of removing debris from the sidewalks, curbs, and roads was the subject of an alert from the township Department of Public Works:
“We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this difficult process. It is not necessary to call to request a collection as Public Works is aware of the widespread tree destruction within West Windsor Township and is steadily progressing, street by street in zone order, to cut up and remove the downed trees and branches as a result of Hurricane Sandy. If you have any questions or concerns about yard debris pick up, please contact the Department of Public Works at 609-799-8370.”
