Width of easement, trees.
Sir,
interesting to read of your problem. No reason city cannot get by with less than 30' for permanent easement. Municipalites deal with less than ideal installation conditions every day. Width of 10' - 15' may be adequate for easement. Not sure what is to be used for actual digging but width of that machine should determine minimum easement width needed. Construction easement specifying removal of no trees could be granted for a much greater width and for material stockpile areas and access points to needed for installation of line. Maintence should be possible within permanent easement width.
Re trees, suggest you contact logger(s) to walk property and give you estimate for intrinsic value trees to be removed. For start finding, contact any custom saw mills in your area. If there are any loggers around, they will give you certain amount of money for trees, including hauling away. Town might be left with just stumps to deal with.
Value of trees as an aesthetic property screen is substantial. You could determine some measure of that value by asking for an estimate from landscape company for tree screening of that length and width in similar or wholly different species of trees. You could not expect to match caliper(diameter) of existing trees. Although you could ask. Any caliper over 3" gets expensive very quickly. Transplanting large trees is $500 each and up. New trees are specified and planted as screening in most developments, even if planted land is in floodplain. Screening is good use of floodplain land. Getting this info should not be that difficlult.
I like possibility of Town recieving construction easement of
X width, to be replaced by a maintenance easement of much smaller width with access easemnents periodically, if needed. Note - an access easement does not have to be in straight line but can to some degree take into account local conditions, i.e. position of
trees worth saving.
Your property and the trees on it are yours and not the Towns. With that in mind, town should replant some measure of screening trees provided once construction is finished. They are destroying your property. If they absolutely have to have 30' during construction, what about a 10' permanent width and replant lost screening/trees. If manholes are to be six feet high, you should be able to ask for stalks to be painted to camoflauge their intrusion into you and your neigbors view.
I do not know their disposition but imangine condemnation and a public taking of land(s) is not first on their list.
Best of luck.
