Tree trouble resolved in East Haven

An East Haven man turned to News Channel 8 for help because a tree at the end of driveway became a safety hazard.

Nothing but a stump is all that's left of a giant oak at the end of Sherman Best's driveway. The tree sat on town property and Sherman had been trying for years to get it cut down because it obstructs the view of traffic when he's trying to get out of his driveway.

The story ran last Tuesday on News Channel 8. On Wednesday, Sherman woke up to the sound of an engine.

"I heard a little noise in the morning and I wondered if someone was cutting their lawn and it was someone with a chain saw starting to trim the limbs off the tree," said Sherman.

It was a tough job. The tree had three trunks and utility wires ran around and in between them. The town put up a tree removal notice in 2006, but couldn't do anything without help from the AT&T - which owns the closest utility pole - and UI which needed to handle the dangerous power lines. In the end it turned into a team effort.

"The town had responsibility from the ground to the wires. UI had responsibility from the wires up, and they told me the tree was 90 feet tall," Sherman explained.

Now it's down to just a few inches. Sherman has lived here for five and a half decades, but cutting down this tree has given him a brand new feeling.

"Freedom! I could see if there were traffic coming in various directions. It was a totally new experience after 55 years," he said.