ouch. I should have pushed back.

 

The two large leaders of the sycamore have now been taken from the Sycamore at 618 Shoemaker Road,  We finally were able to find a company that was willing to do this work after the first 3 companies backed away while on the site to start during the last month. 

The $5000 plus expense was done to illustrate my high regard and respect for your wishes.  We all have to get along.

Sadly, this was a completely unnecessary exercise and expense.  You can look for yourselves at the cut up wood on the ground and see that there was absolutely no rotten wood whatsoever in any of the sections.  Those two magnificent leaders creating a spectacular allee of wood and leaves over our beautiful Shoemaker Road would have continued for another 200 years.  Now they are gone forever   

Both leaders had been lightened by me to completely eliminate any risk of falling about 60 days ago.

I made the decision not to argue with you about my preventive actions and take your severely incorrect, misguided direction. 

You all know that one of the reasons that I bought 618 Shoemaker was to care for this masterpiece Sycamore,  Now it has been scarred because your "tree expert," whoever he is, was grossly incompetent. 

Kindly remember that I was the founder of Arader Tree Service over 60 years ago and that I am one of the great experts on dendrology in the world.  My planting of over 3000 trees in Upper Merion township on 5 different properties is proof indeed of my passion. 

My love of Upper Merion township continues even after two of your employees attempted extortion, your police chief's inability to prosecute a fedex employee that stole a $250,000 audubon that was sent to me and your school district turning down a $1,000,000 gift from me to celebrate the aesthetic genius of John James Audubon in your spectacular new High School facility.   Thank God for the integrity, judgement and serenity of Mark Zadroga to maintain an accretive perspective. 

Now there are 3.4 acres that I have restored, spending over $400,000 to create an arboretum and bird sanctuary park at 580 Shoemaker.  What is most compelling is the allee of 50 to 100 year old sycamores on the banks of the stream.   There is still work to be done but even now they are a glorious illustration of natural selection where a species thrives when its environment for growth is ideal. 

My dream is to work with you to create something that no other township has - the installation of videos at 50 stopping points to create a learning experience for Linnaean binomial nomenclature for our young to learn and cherish the natural world.  I repeat my respectful request to sell this ground to you and reach the highest possible level of community advancement.  This would be something that would put your township in first place in the United States.  It was envisioned by Donald Kennedy who was President of Stanford from 1980 to 1992.  He was the best University President of the 20th century.

Truly and yes, a bit saddened, and yet, still hopeful and still very much in love with our township,

Graham

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