Falling fruit poses sidewalk danger to elderly walkers

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on September 28, 2007

Fallen fruit could be posing a danger to pedestrians in the area of the Ann Whalen Apartments and Bangs Community Center off Boltwood Walk, according to an Ann Whalen resident.

Frank Wells, of Ann Whalen, unit 73, told the Select Board this week that the apples that have come down on the sidewalk are treacherous, especially for the many senior citizens and disabled who make their homes there and may be unsteady on their feet.

"The fruit fall is the worst it's ever been in six years," Wells said on Monday.

Wells said he had concerns several years ago when the apple tree was first planted in the sidewalk that it could develop into a safety issue.

This marked the third time Wells, long an advocate for ensuring sidewalks are safe for pedestrians, has brought the issue before the board.

Town Manager Larry Shaffer told the Select Board members that he had made an effort to rectify the problem by having Department of Public Works crews trim the tree so that the fruit would be more limited and would primarily fall away from the sidewalk. Instead, the trimming appears to have encouraged more fruit growth.

The future of how the tree will be dealt with will largely depend on whether it is considered to be in a right of way. If that is the case, the Select Board will have to decide how to handle the matter. If it is only on town property, Shaffer can continue to investigate methods for keeping the apples from falling to the sidewalk.