Residents of Franklin Ridge and nearby Bridal Ridge told the Borough Council of Franklin Park during the March 19 public-comment period that they oppose a borough plan to remove 14 mature blue spruce along the border of Oakleaf Lane and Reeskind Road.

Mark Jennings, who identified himself as a long-time developer and Franklin Ridge resident, said the trees have stood since the subdivision was built in the early 1990s and described them as a privacy screen and windbreak. “We very much enjoy it,” Jennings said, and added that he was surprised to receive a letter on March 13 from REACH stating the borough had decided to clear the trees.

Jennings and other neighbors said they were not notified before on-site meetings and asked the borough to consider alternatives. He offered a maintenance agreement and insurance to keep the trees in place, saying professional care had cost about $3,000 a year and that removal would harm privacy and traffic conditions on Reese Run Road.

Dan Duntil (spelled in the record as “Dan Puntil/Duntil”), a former Franklin Ridge homeowners-association president, said the trees had been in place for about 33 years and that the borough previously asked the association to trim them roughly eight to ten years ago, a trimming that the association said later killed some trees. Duntil said the association spent about $35,000 on replacement landscaping and views the March enforcement as inconsistent: “If you’re gonna enforce our trees, then you need to enforce all consistently in the borough,” he said, and offered to provide photos of other properties with trees in the right-of-way.

Marissa Himmeyer, the property owner where the trees sit, said she bought the house in 2017 and had been told the strip at the road was under HOA control; she said she was surprised by a letter from Mr. Knopf informing her the property remained her responsibility. Himmeyer said the vegetation provides nesting habitat and privacy for her family: “My daughter wants to go up and I peek in the nest and watch the birds.”

Speakers repeatedly urged the borough to work with residents and suggested potential remedies including a written maintenance agreement, selective trimming rather than removal, or a staged approach. Speakers noted details about underground utilities: Jennings said he spoke with the water authority and that the public water main in that strip is four feet deep with an 8-inch line below that; he argued the root systems of the spruce posed little risk to infrastructure.

Council did not take formal action on the issue during the March 19 meeting; the comments were made during the public-comment period and were recorded for the minutes. Residents asked for continued dialogue with borough staff and cited what they called inconsistent enforcement if other developments with trees in rights-of-way have not been treated similarly.

The transcript shows no formal reply or vote on tree removal at the meeting; speakers asked the council to pursue alternatives and to provide clarity on ownership and enforcement moving forward.