A public meeting will be held next week regarding the removal of a dozen public shade trees from a property on Wilson Street.

According to Interim Public Works Director Tim Barber, this work was done without permission from the town. He noted that before any work is done, state law requires that a public hearing be held.

“[The homeowners] did not request a public meeting before the removal,” Barber said. 

As a result of the infraction, Barber noted that any future work on the property has been ordered to halt until the matter is resolved.

According to Barber, plans include re-grading the property, adding retaining walls, and a new driveway. The trees were taken down, he said, in order to provide the property with a better view of Padanaram Harbor.

Some residents have already begun to speak out over the removal.

“Those many mature trees bordering Wilson and Gould Streets should never have been felled,” said Ann Parson of the Dartmouth Tree Committee. “ It’s a tragedy, especially because they were mature and [kept] the bank bordering Wilson St. intact as well as providing shade and moisture on a lot that otherwise was stripped of trees.”

According to Barber, should work be allowed to continue, the property owners said they plan to replant six trees. Although, Parson said she is worried that it can take time even after planting.

“It will take years for them to mature and provide the same benefits,” she said.

A meeting on the matter will be held Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 2 p.m. in Room 304 at Town Hall, located at 400 Slocum Road. Members of the public can also attend via Zoom. To find the login information, visit the Department of Public Works’ page on the town website.

“Any resident that has concerns can come to the meeting and we can discuss those,” Barber said.