http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m121003i.htm
Road project dooms huge oak
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
One of state's largest trees to be cut down
By LAWRENCE HAJNA
Courier-Post Staff
WINSLOW
The old oak tree out front of Chris and Don Kelley's New Brooklyn Road house provides much more than shade.
It has sentimental value.
"This tree is like part of the family. It's one of the reasons we bought this house," says Chris Kelley, 52, who runs a pet-sitting service from her small home.
But the tree - at least 300 years old and one of the largest white oaks in New Jersey - needs to be cut down to make room for a road-widening project, Camden County officials say.
A.C. Moore, the nation's fourth-largest arts and crafts retailer, is building a new East Coast distribution center across the road. The $40 million, 760,000-square-foot facility will be three times the size of the company's current distribution center in Gloucester Township.
The county says the tree has to come down in about six months so a turning lane can be built to accommodate the big tractor-trailers that will serve the massive center when it opens next year.
The Kelleys - who already have started to fight the tree's removal - did not find out it would be cut down until about a month ago, almost by accident. A township employee told them about the plan after a local planning board meeting.
A subsequent letter to the Kelleys from the county's engineering department suggests A.C. Moore is requiring the extra lane.
But Dominic Vesper, director of the county roads and public works department, this week confirmed the county is requiring the turning lane. The requirement follows federal safety guidelines for rural roads, Vesper said.
"A majority of accidents on our two-lane country roads occur when trucks are turning into asphalt plants, cement plants and the like," Vesper said.
The turning lane - or turning slot, as it is known - will allow cars to navigate around the trucks without stopping. Unfortunately, Vesper said, the tree is right near the distribution center's entrance.
"When it comes down to the safety of the motoring public and the tree, it's a tough decision," Vesper said. "We're very cognizant of removing trees, believe me. It's a very touchy matter."
Les Gordon, A.C. Moore's chief financial officer, said the turning lane is the county's idea.
"This was not a requirement that we sought," he said.
The road "is not that highly traveled," Gordon added.
The company is building in Winslow after scrapping plans for the new center in Washington Township, where residents of a housing development complained about the construction of the huge facility next to their homes.
"You just can't fight a fight like that," Gordon said. "Rather than fight through it, we decided to go somewhere else."
The company picked a rural area, where it felt it would not have difficulties with neighbors.
The tree sits at the very edge of New Brooklyn Road. It is 67 feet high and its crown spreads out for more than 100 feet. Its circumference is 15 feet 8 inches.
The tree is the second-largest white oak reported in the county, and the 18th-largest in the state, according to a state survey, which rated the tree's condition as very good. The tree also is big enough to be placed on the state's register of big trees.
This recognizes the tree's ecological significance but does not provide any protection. The tree and the property on which it sits are not designated historical landmarks, a distinction that could protect the tree.
Hoping to get this designation, the Kelleys plan to research the history of the tree, which they say may have been an important landmark on a major early route between Philadelphia and the shore and later as a focal point for the brickmaking industry.
They've contacted the West Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, which plans to circulate a petition to save the tree.
If all else fails, they hope to seek the help of state lawmakers and even the governor.
"People say it's good to get new ratables in town. We agree with that," Chris Kelley said. "But there has to be more creativity. If you need more access, you need to do it in a way that you're not going to lose so much."
Road project dooms huge oak
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
One of state's largest trees to be cut down
By LAWRENCE HAJNA
Courier-Post Staff
WINSLOW
The old oak tree out front of Chris and Don Kelley's New Brooklyn Road house provides much more than shade.
It has sentimental value.
"This tree is like part of the family. It's one of the reasons we bought this house," says Chris Kelley, 52, who runs a pet-sitting service from her small home.
But the tree - at least 300 years old and one of the largest white oaks in New Jersey - needs to be cut down to make room for a road-widening project, Camden County officials say.
A.C. Moore, the nation's fourth-largest arts and crafts retailer, is building a new East Coast distribution center across the road. The $40 million, 760,000-square-foot facility will be three times the size of the company's current distribution center in Gloucester Township.
The county says the tree has to come down in about six months so a turning lane can be built to accommodate the big tractor-trailers that will serve the massive center when it opens next year.
The Kelleys - who already have started to fight the tree's removal - did not find out it would be cut down until about a month ago, almost by accident. A township employee told them about the plan after a local planning board meeting.
A subsequent letter to the Kelleys from the county's engineering department suggests A.C. Moore is requiring the extra lane.
But Dominic Vesper, director of the county roads and public works department, this week confirmed the county is requiring the turning lane. The requirement follows federal safety guidelines for rural roads, Vesper said.
"A majority of accidents on our two-lane country roads occur when trucks are turning into asphalt plants, cement plants and the like," Vesper said.
The turning lane - or turning slot, as it is known - will allow cars to navigate around the trucks without stopping. Unfortunately, Vesper said, the tree is right near the distribution center's entrance.
"When it comes down to the safety of the motoring public and the tree, it's a tough decision," Vesper said. "We're very cognizant of removing trees, believe me. It's a very touchy matter."
Les Gordon, A.C. Moore's chief financial officer, said the turning lane is the county's idea.
"This was not a requirement that we sought," he said.
The road "is not that highly traveled," Gordon added.
The company is building in Winslow after scrapping plans for the new center in Washington Township, where residents of a housing development complained about the construction of the huge facility next to their homes.
"You just can't fight a fight like that," Gordon said. "Rather than fight through it, we decided to go somewhere else."
The company picked a rural area, where it felt it would not have difficulties with neighbors.
The tree sits at the very edge of New Brooklyn Road. It is 67 feet high and its crown spreads out for more than 100 feet. Its circumference is 15 feet 8 inches.
The tree is the second-largest white oak reported in the county, and the 18th-largest in the state, according to a state survey, which rated the tree's condition as very good. The tree also is big enough to be placed on the state's register of big trees.
This recognizes the tree's ecological significance but does not provide any protection. The tree and the property on which it sits are not designated historical landmarks, a distinction that could protect the tree.
Hoping to get this designation, the Kelleys plan to research the history of the tree, which they say may have been an important landmark on a major early route between Philadelphia and the shore and later as a focal point for the brickmaking industry.
They've contacted the West Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, which plans to circulate a petition to save the tree.
If all else fails, they hope to seek the help of state lawmakers and even the governor.
"People say it's good to get new ratables in town. We agree with that," Chris Kelley said. "But there has to be more creativity. If you need more access, you need to do it in a way that you're not going to lose so much."
