Pedestrian safety on Gettysburg Borough sidewalks was the focal point of a recent council workshop. The municipality’s elected leaders discussed how to deal with trees causing walkways to buckle and impediments such as signs, benches, and tables.
Tree Talk
Borough Shade Tree Commission Chair David Rice, a resident of West Broadway, told the council that he and commission member Susan Naugle recently walked the borough to inventory its trees. They presented a spreadsheet of their findings, as well as anecdotal information on the status of the sidewalks.
“As we walked the borough, most of the damage we saw was from the trees,” Rice said.
The borough, through the Shade Tree Commission, plants trees along the sidewalks. The commission plants several types of trees, Rice said, to prevent a disease affecting one tree from wiping out the entire town’s greenery. Until earlier this year, the commission did not seek input from neighboring property owners even though they were responsible if the tree damaged the sidewalk. The commission is now having conversations with landowners, and the borough will fix sidewalks damaged by the trees.
Council President Matthew Moon noted that fixing damaged sidewalks is a costly endeavor. Rice also noted that trees can impede pedestrian navigation and damage utility lines. However, Rice contends, the benefits far outweigh the pitfalls.
“These public spaces benefit greatly from a tree canopy that provides shade, cooling, pollutant removal, and a welcoming atmosphere,” Rice said.
To combat these problems, the Shade Tree Commission is proposing the borough plant trees on private property with the landowner’s permission. Under the proposal, the commission would spend $5,000 in 2025 to plant trees on private front yards within five to 15 feet from the sidewalk. Landowners would need to seek the funds, Rice said, and be responsible for the trees’ maintenance and eventual removal.
“It’s unknown how much response we would get,” he said.
Borough council members expressed support for the proposal and said they would discuss it further at a future meeting. Councilman Chad-Alan Carr requested the council have final say over where the trees are to be planted.
Impediments
Even if a borough sidewalk is flat, pedestrians could still struggle to navigate it. The Americans with Disabilities Act states that a sidewalk must have five feet of clearance. That law is not always followed when A-frame signs, benches, and flower boxes are placed in front of properties.
“That is their sole reason for existence, for people to move freely,” Moon said of sidewalks. “The other things we do with them are bonuses.”
Carr noted the borough became less strict with enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic to support small business owners.
“The time is now to reign things back to how our town should look,” Carr said.
Borough Manager Charles Gable said the borough’s permitting process regulates outdoor dining. When a permit is approved, borough staff place pins in the concrete to show how far tables and chairs can extend. That process is effective, Moon said, but not practical for other structures such as signs and benches.
The borough staff first tries to address issues through a conversation, although some repeat offenders may need a stronger reason to comply.
“Citation is always the last resort,” he said.
Moon said the council will discuss the issue further in the new year.
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.
Yes, besides the trees, just try maneuvering someone in a wheelchair anywhere in the town center. Broken and uneven sidewalks, raised sections, wide separations between sections, cracks, badly done sidewalk to street transitions.
This is another video done in 2022-Racehorse alley. https://youtu.be/MMaH8M7avNU?si=TvWp3F9zKtK-UdcK
A Different thought process is needed. Trees are Not a problem. The atmosphere now holds 10% more water vapor than it did years ago due to a temperature rise World wide of 1.5C above the year 1880 baseline. What that means is that the potentialities for massive deluges or the converse of Extreme drought for extended periods. The jet stream is shredded-not even beginning to resemble what it once was 20 years ago. In other words, preparations have to begin in earnest and Gettysburg PA and in the entire United States. This includes preparations for extreme rainfall in the order… Read more »