MONTAGUE — As part of the latest phase of the Avenue A Streetscape Improvement Project, town officials are discussing the possible replacement of 14 ash trees along Avenue A that were treated for emerald ash borer infestations for two years.

This offer to replace the trees, from contractors Mountain View Landscapes, comes as the company begins revamping the sidewalks on the even side of Avenue A, according to Assistant Town Administrator Chris Nolan-Zeller. There are 12 trees located between The Country Creemee at 52 Avenue A and The Heartwing Center, and two trees in front of Ce Ce’s Chinese Restaurant and Subway.

Nolan-Zeller explained to the Selectboard Monday night that the tree replacements were offered as a no-cost change order, meaning the town would not pay for the new trees. The ash trees would be replaced with non-ash trees that are considered less susceptible to disease.

With the history of these ash trees requiring treatment and monitoring to combat the emerald ash borer infection, coupled with the effectiveness of the treatment not being understood until the spring, the contractors made the offer to replace the trees during their streetscape work.

“We have a unique opportunity while we’re redoing the streetscape to bring in quality, new trees at no cost, so I think it is definitely an opportunity worth close consideration,” Town Administrator Walter Ramsey said. “Nobody wants to cut down these beautiful ash trees, but we need to be thinking long-term about this and we have a good opportunity before us.”

Selectboard Chair Richard Kuklewicz didn’t express a direct opinion on the matter, but said he wants to see what the Tree Advisory Committee has to say about the issue.

The Avenue A Streetscape Improvement Project is funded through $975,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and aims to improve accessibility and pedestrian infrastructure along the sidewalks.

Construction is focused on the sidewalks in front of the Avenue A businesses from The Heartwing Center to the Great Falls Discovery Center, as well as in front of Montague Town Hall at 1 Avenue A.

Andy Vega, an arborist and former Montague Tree Advisory Committee member, said in an interview Tuesday that he helped advise the town about its options to treat these Avenue A ash trees in 2022 when they were flagged for exhibiting the early signs of an emerald ash borer infestation and were considered good candidates for treatment.

To avoid a conflict of interest, Vega resigned from the Tree Advisory Committee to work with his tree injection company, J.J. Mauget, for whom he is the chief science officer. He provided the town contractors, Humphrey Garden Design and Landscape, the chemicals to do microinjections in the tree roots to treat roughly 30 trees across the village in 2023 and 2024.

Nolan-Zeller told the Selectboard he will be meeting with the Tree Advisory Committee, the interim Tree Warden Jason Kingsbury and Vega to discuss the potential replacement of the trees. He will then report back to Mountain View Landscapes about the offer, and he plans to return to the Selectboard next Monday to provide an update.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.