October 30, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 15 Ho-Ho-Kus Commission to have 120 new trees planted by Jennifer Crusco Approximately 120 new shade trees will soon be planted throughout the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus. Last week, the Ho- Ho-Kus Council approved three resolutions related to the project, which is an effort of the Ho-Ho-Kus Shade Tree Commission. One resolution indicates that $2,470 will be paid to Wil- liam R. Comery from the 2013 Ho-Ho-Kus Shade Tree Budget. Comery was hired by the commission to inves- tigate, evaluate, and make recommendations for the pur- chase and planting of the trees. He prepared specifications and sought quotes from pre-qualified nursery contractors to supply the trees. He also prepared specifications and solicited prices from pre-qualified landscape and nursery contractors to plant the trees. Comery will help establish a planting timetable, and will provide inspections of the trees. He will also be charged with keeping the commission apprised of the project’s progress, and with inspecting the plantings of the first five to 10 trees and, after that, conducting random inspections. In addition, he will inspect all of the newly planted trees before issuing a final letter of acceptance and will oversee any necessary corrective planting, which would be carried out at the contractor’s expense. A second resolution indicates that the commission will use $12,299 from the Ross Trust Fund for the purchase of the trees. The fund involves private money, rather than tax dollars. Plant Detectives of Chester provided the lowest quote and has been retained for this service. Another resolution related to this project states that the Ho-Ho-Kus Council approved of the commission’s use of an additional $12,000 from the Ross Trust Fund for the installation of the trees. The lowest quote for the plantings was received from the New Jersey Tree Foundation of Jack- son. Several years ago, the Janet Ross family provided money to be used for the beautification of the borough. That money is now available through the Ross Shade Tree Fund. Earlier this year, the council approved an ordinance that expanded the Ho-Ho-Kus Shade Tree Commission from a three-member group to a five-member organization. Commissioners, who are appointed by the mayor, must be borough residents and serve without compensation. Com- missioners’ responsibilities include oversight of the plant- ing and care of borough shade trees located on public lands and rights of way. In recent years, the commission has been involved in replacing trees along various borough road- ways. The Shade Tree Commission includes Chairman Frank Grieder, Kim Mitchell and Chris Raimondi, and newcom- ers Patrick Pavelski and Daniel Chase. Ho-Ho-Kus has achieved Tree City USA status annually for over a decade. The Tree City USA website states that this program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, and “provides direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recogni- tion for urban and community forestry programs.” Municipalities that apply for Tree City USA status are required to meet four standards established by The Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State For- esters. Specifically, eligible municipalities must have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. The website states, “These standards were established to ensure that every qualifying community would have a viable tree management plan and program. It is important to note that they were also designed so that no community would be excluded because of size.” The website states that Tree City USA standards provide initial direction for a community forestry program that help get a community started toward annual, systematic man- agement of its tree resources. Architect asked to provide feasibility information The Ho-Ho-Kus Board of Education voted last week to authorize DeCara Rubino Architects to provide a topo- graphical survey, an applicability determination, and soil borings in relation to the proposed track and field improve- ments at the public school. The Ho-Ho-Kus trustees are exploring the option of installing an artificial turf field and a new track at Lloyd Field. While these officials are still exploring the possibili- ties, they agree that some work must be done on the track and field. Lloyd Field is located next to the school building on Lloyd Road, and now includes a natural grass field and a cinder track. The facility is used by students and by local recreation teams that include athletes from Saddle River and Ho-Ho-Kus. After the meeting, Ho-Ho-Kus Superintendent Deborah Ferrara explained that the architect’s work is related to the feasibility of the project. She said the professional would be checking soil composition and providing the topographi- cal survey before the school district continues on the path toward improving its track and field. Ferrara added that no drawings have been requested at this time. The agenda item as approved states that the architect is being authorized to provide “pre-referendum services.” However, a referendum is not currently being planned. School Board President Colleen Federer said the vote taken last week authorized the architect to go ahead with the studies, which are part of due diligence. “We are still seeking as much private funding and grants/state aid as possible,” she said, noting that the archi- tect’s studies would help the district determine a cost for the work. “We are exploring financial options, and a refer- endum could be necessary to fund part of the project.” At the school board’s work session held earlier this month, the trustees expressed an interest in having the school district’s architect, Jerry Rubino, take a closer look at the possible installation of a turf field and a new track. Perry DiPiazza from FieldTurf had presented the board with images of how the track and field could look, but a review of those graphics left the trustees wanting more spe- cific details, including precise measurements. J. CRUSCO