A variety of shade trees planted alongside Route 1 in Falmouth as part of a redesign and revitalization effort will have to be replaced because they were allowed to dry out, according to the town.
The recently planted trees appear to be water-deprived, with leaves curled and brown. Falmouth officials posted a statement on the town’s website this week saying the “installation and inadequate watering resulted in severe degradation of trees.”
The most-damaged trees will have to be removed and replaced by the contractor that installed them, the town said.
All Katsura trees and some elm and red maple trees must be replaced immediately, according to an evaluation by two independent landscaping companies. Some maple and elm trees will be monitored but may need to be replaced later this year, and some or all of the remaining trees may have to be removed in the spring, the town said.
Ginko trees also were planted along the highway and those appear to be doing well so far, according to the town.
It was not clear how many trees will be replaced immediately, or what the replacements will cost the contractor. Town Hall was closed Friday and no further information was immediately available.
Falmouth Town Manager Nathan Poore said in the written statement that he and other officials are extremely disappointed.
“We have had multiple conversations with Sargent Corp., general contractor for the Route One project,” Poore said. “The tree issue was discussed last week, and again at a construction meeting on July 7. It is important for the public to know that we are working on the situation and are confident that the general contractor will resolve it.”
Ian McCarthy, a representative of Sargent Corp., said in the town’s written statement that the company is disappointed, too.
“We take pride in our work and will provide the town with a product that is expected. Replacement of material falls on us and we will honor that responsibility.”
The town had a one-year warranty for the trees in its contract with Sargent, according to town documents.
The new plantings will have to be watered two to four times each week, with 10 to 15 gallons of water each, according to the town’s landscape advisers.
The trees are a key component of an overhaul project that began in April 2014 along the mile-long commercial stretch of Route 1 between Bucknam Road and Route 88.
The project was approved by a voter referendum in June 2013. The $11.7 million bond was approved by only 89 votes.
It includes wider sidewalks, trees and center medians to a stretch of road that for decades has been a traffic-heavy commercial center. In addition to landscaping, overhead utilities will be relocated underground.
Matt Byrne can be contacted at 791-6303 or at:
Twitter: MattByrnePPH
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.