9 12 24 West Orange BOA ZB 24 06 PSEG Full size Transcript

Page 51 1 actually raised that point, because to Mr. Ricci's 2 earlier point with respect to the renderings, the 3 landscape architect will be specifically addressing 4 the existing trees on the site that are being 5 removed. They will talk about compliance with 6 respect to the existing and the new tree ordinance. 7 And then they will be talking about the proposed 8 landscaping plan, including specifically all of the 9 trees that will be coming into the site as part of 10 the restoration. 11 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Okay. Great. 12 Members of the Board. So, members of the 13 Board, we'll go in alphabetical order. 14 Mr. Barbee. 15 COMMISSIONER BARBEE: Yes. Thank you for 16 your presentation. Going back to the fence, just 17 that discussion, you made mention of the new fence 18 will be unscalable. 19 Have you had issues of people climbing 20 over the fence in the past? 21 THE WITNESS: I'd have to defer that to 22 PSE&G just because I'm not, you know, part of the 23 company. I'm just consulting on the stormwater 24 design. 25 COMMISSIONER BARBEE: Oh, okay. So in

Page 52 1 your presentation you're not too certain of the 2 stuff you're showing. 3 So let me ask the other question. So on 4 the drawing that you had of the existing fence with 5 the trees, we know on your application that you are 6 going to be removing trees. But what I saw in your 7 drawing, the existing shows trees that were barely 8 standing or very thin. You can see all the way to 9 the station. But in your proposed, you have huge 10 trees there as though they were planted. 11 Are you putting new -- no, no. Your 12 drawing that you had there on Mount Pleasant. 13 THE WITNESS: Oh, okay. 14 COMMISSIONER BARBEE: Are you putting new 15 trees there? Are you replanting trees? 16 THE WITNESS: Yes. There is a whole tree 17 planting. We're replacing many of the trees. 18 COMMISSIONER BARBEE: There was an actual 19 photograph that you had. You had an actual photo of 20 the Mount Pleasant with the -- 21 THE WITNESS: Are you talking about as 22 part of the -- 23 COMMISSIONER BARBEE: Not that one. 24 THE WITNESS: Oh, you just want me to go 25 to a different...

Page 53 1 COMMISSIONER BARBEE: Keep going. Yeah. 2 Right here. 3 So you see how you have the lush trees 4 there? 5 THE WITNESS: Yes. 6 COMMISSIONER BARBEE: You were saying 7 that's the proposed. So are those trees that you 8 put there? What -- 9 MS. PORTER: That would be a combination 10 of existing trees to remain as well as new 11 plantings. 12 THE WITNESS: Correct. 13 COMMISSIONER BARBEE: Oh, okay. 14 MS. PORTER: So it does reflect -- 15 THE WITNESS: There's a combination, yes. 16 MS. PORTER: -- all of the proposed as 17 well as existing. 18 COMMISSIONER BARBEE: Okay. 19 MS. PORTER: There are also some, as will 20 be explained by the landscape architect, some 21 existing trees which are in poor condition that 22 require removal. So there are various categories of 23 trees which is why our landscape architect needs to 24 walk through, you know, the various types of trees, 25 which ones are being removed and why.

Page 54 1 COMMISSIONER BARBEE: Okay. So since you 2 just made some comments after this, you said there 3 are some trees that require removal. So in all 4 these years, you never applied for an application to 5 remove the trees that require -- 6 MS. PORTER: We did. So there were 7 previously trees that were removed in connection 8 with various requests or at various times. The 9 existing station, as you may have heard in some of 10 the prior testimony, has existed for a hundred 11 years. So there have been a number of different 12 things that have happened over the course of 13 time. 14 There was recent tree removal that did 15 occur. It's actually referenced in connection with, 16 I believe, the forester's comment letter that he 17 acknowledged that. And then there are additional 18 trees that were recommended for removal that are 19 being done as part of this project. 20 COMMISSIONER BARBEE: Okay. Thank you. 21 I'm done. Thank you. 22 THE WITNESS: Thank you. 23 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Mr. 24 Dannemiller. Mike. 25 COMMISSIONER DANNEMILLER: Yes. Thank you

Page 55 1 for your presentation. I have no questions. 2 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Okay. 3 Mr. Eben? 4 COMMISSIONER EBEN: Yes, Vice-Chairman. 5 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Do you have any 6 questions? 7 COMMISSIONER EBEN: Yes, I do. My 8 questions are really along the same line as 9 Mr. Ricci-- 10 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: You went mute. 11 COMMISSIONER EBEN: -- in terms of the 12 material of the fence, the dimensions of the fence. 13 The easiest way to do that is to get -- they're 14 buying a fence -- 15 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: You're going in 16 and out. 17 COMMISSIONER EBEN: The fence's sales 18 representative to come to a meeting with maybe a 19 sample piece of the fence so that if the meeting is 20 a live meeting, we could see it on a table. 21 MS. PORTER: Mr. Eben, on that point, we 22 do actually have an actual sample of the fence. 23 It's something we can certainly -- you know, we can 24 have the planner, when she discusses the fencing 25 details that we spoke about earlier, also show the

Page 56 1 Board an actual sample of the fence; or, if there 2 were some other way to physically submit it for 3 purposes of inspection by the Board prior to the 4 next meeting. But we do have an actual sample of 5 the fence. 6 COMMISSIONER EBEN: Thank you very much. 7 I think that might be very helpful to some of the 8 lay people on the Board that don't understand 9 material. 10 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Depending on if 11 we don't conclude tonight, I would suggest that 12 perhaps you bring a sample of the material and put 13 it in Town Hall. And if members of the Board would 14 like to see the material, then they can go and look 15 at it. 16 MS. PORTER: Mm-hmm. 17 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Okay. 18 COMMISSIONER EBEN: Thank you very much. 19 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Jerry, do you 20 have any more questions? 21 COMMISSIONER EBEN: I think Mr. Ricci hit 22 the nail on the head. 23 THE WITNESS: He keeps muting. 24 COMMISSIONER EBEN: The existing fencing, 25 which is wrought iron, is rusted. There are areas

Page 57 1 of fencing missing in between the pilaster and the 2 pilasters are in very poor condition. That goes to 3 the fact that the utility company maybe is not 4 interested in keeping up -- with keeping up the 5 site. 6 I've lived in town 36 years. I'm just -- 7 many times -- I've been on the Planning Board, I've 8 been on the Zoning Board, and many times I've talked 9 about the condition of this site. And -- 10 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Jerry, what's 11 your question? 12 COMMISSIONER EBEN: My question -- my 13 question is, how are we going to get -- how are we 14 going to have a -- whatever the motion is going to 15 be, yes or no with whatever we're doing, how are we 16 going to get -- how are we going to make sure that 17 they're going to do that? 18 Because when I went by the site again 19 today, I saw half a dozen trees have been removed. 20 I don't know if it was yesterday they were removed 21 or three months ago or three years ago. 22 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: But, okay. So 23 let's address questions to Mr. Blake, the civil 24 engineer. 25 COMMISSIONER EBEN: I don't know if he

Page 58 1 knows this. There's a -- the first meeting, which 2 was back in August, they had a project manager. I 3 think he's the only one that would know, if he knows 4 anything. He would know what the schedule is. 5 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: But what's the 6 question? Jerry, what's your question to Mr. Blake, 7 the civil engineer? 8 COMMISSIONER EBEN: My question is I would 9 like to know how we're going to get rid of -- how 10 we're going to get someone who's going to supervise 11 what's doing -- what's going on there. And that 12 it's going to be -- that if we don't like something, 13 if I go back -- if I go before -- if I run past the 14 site again six months from now after -- 15 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Ask him a question. 16 COMMISSIONER EBEN: -- when I see 17 something that's not right, what's going to be my -- 18 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: That -- that 19 relates to the building inspector. We are -- we're 20 the Zoning Board. 21 COMMISSIONER EBEN: I'm a little concerned 22 about it. I don't think I -- 23 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Jerry, we're 24 not an enforcement body. We approve plans and then 25 it gets handed off to the other town officials.

Page 59 1 That's not our role. 2 So do you have any questions, any further 3 questions, to Mr. Blake? 4 COMMISSIONER EBEN: No, I don't have 5 anything. Nothing now. Thank you very much. 6 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Okay. Thank 7 you. 8 Okay. Mr. -- Peter, do you have any 9 questions? 10 COMMISSIONER RICCI: No, I'm sorry. No, I 11 do not, Mr. Schwarzbaum. 12 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Okay. 13 Mr. Scott? 14 COMMISSIONER SCOTT: Good evening. Thank 15 you, Mr. Blake, for your presentation. 16 Sticking with the matter of the trees to 17 be removed, I was looking at the site plan. And on 18 page 6 on the site plan, it shows areas shaded in 19 red for construction, for new construction. Most of 20 the trees that are slated to be removed if approved 21 are around the perimeter of the site. They're not 22 near where the switching equipment would be. 23 So could you please explain why those 24 trees would have to be removed? 25 THE WITNESS: Which trees are you

Page 60 1 referring to, I guess? Can you give me maybe a 2 little better direction? 3 COMMISSIONER SCOTT: It's in your site 4 plan on page 6 and we're looking at some rather 5 large trees that are slated to be cut down. You've 6 got a 58-inch -- -foot London pine, a 55-foot white 7 ash, a 49-foot London plane. And these are all very 8 large trees. Your renderings don't show very large 9 trees, by the way. But, at any rate, they are not 10 near where the switching station equipment would be 11 installed. I'm wondering why these trees would need 12 to come down. 13 THE WITNESS: Are you referring to this 14 sheet right here, the tree removal plan? 15 COMMISSIONER SCOTT: Yes. 16 THE WITNESS: So our landscape architect 17 will be testifying and will be providing that 18 exhibit when he testifies -- 19 COMMISSIONER SCOTT: Well, that 20 landscaping -- 21 (Unintelligible cross talk; reporter 22 requests one speaker.) 23 ACTING CHAIR SCHWARZBAUM: Okay. 24 Mr. Blake, you did testify in regard to the 25 retention basins that there were specific needs to