There is established a Shade Tree Commission for the Borough of East
Greenville, the members of which shall be five residents of the borough at
large to be appointed by the Mayor to serve for the Mayor's term in office
during which such residents are appointed.
Commission members shall receive no compensation for their service,
which shall entail the following duties:
A. Establish an inventory, by species and location, of all
trees growing within or upon or the branches of which spread above or over
the streets and highways of East Greenville or within or upon any other property
in which the borough has an ownership interest.
B. Recommend to the Borough Council such shade trees as said borough might have planted upon such streets, highways or property of the Borough of East Greenville as referenced in §
22-2A.
C. Recommend to the Borough Planning Commission such trees as might be appropriate to meeting the shade tree and landscaping requirements of Chapter
85, Subdivision and Land Development, with respect to such subdivisions and land developments as come before the Planning Commission.
D. Periodically indicate to the Code Enforcement Officer those trees upon the inventory, the growth of which or the deterioration to which renders them a hazard to persons making use of the streets, highways or property of the Borough of East Greenville as referenced in §
22-2A.
E. Annually report to the Borough Council its activities
for the preceding year and prescribe such action as it then may deem appropriate
for the current year.
Whenever called upon to recommend a variety of tree to be planted in
a particular location, the Commission shall be guided in making such selection
by the following considerations:
A. The ability of that variety to grow at the planting location.
B. The value of that variety as animal habitat.
C. The compatibility of that variety with other trees in
the area.
D. The compatibility of that variety with such adjoining
structures, such as power lines, buildings, roads and sidewalks.
Upon receipt of notification from the Shade Tree Commission that a particular
tree or trees on the street tree inventory poses a threat to members of the
public, the Code Enforcement Officer shall immediately make such situation
known to the owner of the property upon which such tree is located. Unless
the Code Enforcement Officer shall determine that the threat posed by the
tree is imminent, he shall direct, in his notice, that the owner of the property
upon which the tree is located have it removed or pruned, as per the Code
Enforcement Officer's instructions, within 30 days of the date of the
notice.
If the property owner to whom notice of a dangerous condition, as set
forth above, has been given shall fail to comply within the specified thirty-day
period, the borough may cause the offending tree to be removed or pruned,
as the case may be, and collect from the owner the costs and expenses thereof
by way of municipal claim, civil action at law or such other legal proceedings
as may be designated.