Feb. 5, 2021
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Please see the attachment that will detail the Dominion Energy tree trimming effort from Feb. 8-12.
We are happy to report that the entire project is approximately 60% complete. Given the particulars of The Point, work is progressing steadily but not at such a pace that invites careless mistakes or lapses in safety.
Master arborist Michael Murphy, retained by the City of Beaufort, continues to work very closely with Will Epting, an arborist from Dominion Energy. The goal is to ensure the physical and structural health of each tree is maintained while addressing Dominion Energy’s need to prevent service outages or danger to life or property due to the lack of proper tree pruning or interference with power lines.
Each day, prior to the start of work, each tree to be pruned is evaluated by Epting and the pruning crew leader. Murphy visits the work site often to ensure crews are performing their tasks according to best practices. Both men have a good working relationship and are able to resolve most issues very rapidly.
About 10 days’ work is left in the Point. Crews have been working slowly and methodically to ensure they are making the best possible pruning decisions. Crews have taken brief breaks to undergo retraining and clean the area of debris. Their goal is to leave the area better than before they arrived. When they fall short, they are doing everything in their power to correct deficiencies. We would like to thank the residents for their courtesy and patience.
Crews will be working on the following streets in The Point next week:
- Pinckney
- Hancock
- Bayard
- Hamilton (the entire street, not just from one intersection to another)
- East
- Washington
- New (entire road)
- Prince
- Federal
- Craven
- Port Republic
Future streets to be completed following the Point:
- Charles
- Greene
- New Castle
- Harrington
- Wilmington
- North
- Bay
- Spanish Point
- Fort Lyttleton
- Stuart Town Road
- Todd Dr
- McTeer Circle
- Scheper Circle
- Paul Drive
- Center Drive East
- Mossy Oaks Rd
- Coleman Ln
- Langhorne Dr
- Sutcliffe Dr
Tree-trimming crews will have two pruning trucks plus a debris collection truck on any given street at a time. Crews may also adjust their work locations based on local conditions such as weather and traffic. Crews will only be working in The Point unless conditions cause them to move to a less congested area.
Safety!
Safety is the No. 1 concern for both the City of Beaufort and Dominion Energy. Please allot extra time when transiting through the area. Please watch out for tree trimmers who are focused on trimming trees and not necessarily on the road. If you cannot see heavy machinery operators, they cannot see you.
Stay informed
Both the City of Beaufort and Dominion Energy have provided project leads to address questions, comments, or concerns. Will Epting is representing Dominion Energy and can be reached at William.epting@dominionenergy.com or 1-800-251-7234. Neal Pugliese is representing the City of Beaufort and can be reached at npugliese@cityofbeaufort.org or 843-470-3512 anytime. Both Will and Neal will continue to respond to your questions, comments, or concerns promptly. No issue is too big or too small so don’t hesitate to call or email.
Please encourage all those affected or interested in the Dominion Energy tree-trimming effort to register with the “Notify Me” application found on the City of Beaufort website (https://www.cityofbeaufort.org/list.aspx) and subscribe to the Dominion tree-pruning updates, which will be delivered directly via text or email.
Again, thank you for your patience as this project is completed.
Neal Pugliese, Col USMC (Ret)
Chairman
Mossy Oaks Multijurisdictional Drainage Task Force
npugliese@cityofbeaufort.org