Spare Them The Drama, Just Remove The Stumps

Willard Road the morning after the tornado.

After one year the stumps on Willard Road are finally being addressed.  Why after twelve months is the BOS so worked up?  Why not immediately after the tornado as the clean up was being done, or a few months after?  


And, why all the drama?  


Because, the stump removal was forgotten, overlooked, and the stumps were out of sight.  There is no way that the BOS was not aware of the stumps still being on Willard Road. The issue was brought up, and outrage was feigned at the June 25th BOS meeting.  


A little late for that.  As Greg Morse, Director of the DPW stated that night,  “We need a little guidance on our end. Where do you want us to start? Where do you want us to stop?”.


Great questions.  A little leadership, and some guidance would be nice.  It would have been nice twelve months ago.  In fact, it should have been asked for twelve months ago if none was being offered.


The stumps are on town land.  They are town stumps, and regardless of the tornado turning trees into stumps, the town owns them, and needs to remove them.  The trunks, limbs and branches that once were a part of those very stumps have long since been removed.  There was money for trunk and limb removal, but none for the rest of the tree?

One of the alleged stumps seen here still attached to the
rest of itself.  The rest of the town owned tree has long
since been removed.

The town has the equipment to remove the stumps.  They have the employees, and the know how.  Now, this has become maintance of town land project; an ongoing process.  Do we really need a Special Town Meeting to seek funds to dig up the stumps, load them into a dump truck, or flatbed, and haul them off?  Isn't this something that our DPW can handle, should have handled, and should have been instructed to handle long ago?


Close the curtain on all the drama.  Just remove the stumps, and give Willard Road back to the folks that live there.  They already had their fair share of hot air last summer.


Article published Jun 26, 2012

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Sturbridge selectmen frustrated by pace of tornado cleanup

By Craig S. Semon TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Related • Tornado cleanup stalls

STURBRIDGE —  The chairman of the Board of Selectmen, Thomas R. Creamer, chastised the town administrator for the delay in removing three tree stumps on Willard Road, more than a year after the tornado that felled them hit.

In a 5-0 vote last night, the selectmen directed the department of public works director to develop a plan for “immediate removal” of the stumps, which are in the town's right of way, and to have a plan ready for the board's review by July 9.

During Department of Public Works Director Gregory H. Morse's monthly report, Mr. Creamer expressed his frustration with what he called the lack of attention being paid to Willard Road.

“Twelve months after the tornado, we still have three tree stumps that are owned by the town and are on town property,” Mr. Creamer said. “And those individuals who are trying to move on with their lives and, in some cases, sell their homes that have been repaired and rebuilt, are being challenged to do so because of that.”

Mr. Creamer said no amount of explanation could ever satisfy him as to why residents on Willard Road are still dealing with the stumps.

“If we would not accept those (stumps) being left on Route 20, then we should not accept them being left on Willard Road because that was the epicenter of the tornado,” Mr. Creamer said. “I cannot reconcile in my mind that the residents of Willard Road are stuck with town's trash on their street, and that's what it amounts to.”

Mr. Creamer made his complaint to Mr. Morse, but said he did not hold him responsible for the delay because the DPW director takes orders from the town administrator.

Mr. Morse said last night that two days after tornado hit, he told them that cleanup could cost anywhere from $500,000 to $8 million. And today, the town could spend $1.5 million on stump removal.

“It depends on what conditions are selected and how far or how big or how small it gets. And the stumps are no different,” Mr. Morse said. “We need a little guidance on our end. Where do you want us to start? Where do you want us to stop?”

Town Administrator Shaun A. Suhoski told the selectmen that the curbside collection of 15,000 cubic yards of tornado debris took a month to six weeks. He added that the Federal Emergency Management Agency's eligibility response is for public safety, not aesthetic issues and, at the time, the town didn't have a project to address the former.

Mr. Suhoski said the plan for further cleanup is to tap into the governor's supplemental funds grant, which was announced June 1. If the town strikes out with the grant, Mr. Suhoski said the town would have to go to a special town meeting to seek money for stump removal.