ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A judge says a man who has been running a commercial tree-trimming business out of a Ross Township neighborhood has until Oct. 18 to clean it all up or he will be fined $1,000.
In court, he offered a heartfelt apology to his neighbors and said he’s moving out.
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“There were some things that I did incorrectly and I made some mistakes,” Richard Quigley, owner of Let’s Cut a Deal, told Channel 11. “I was just honestly trying to make a good living and my intentions were pure.”
Quigley says when the pandemic hit, he feared he’d lose his business. He admits he doubled down on his dumping and tree-trimming business in an area zoned for homes off of Transvaal Avenue in Ross Township.
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Neighbors say over two years, his business destroyed their scenic street. Families tell Channel 11 that trees chopped down and illegal dumping created a landslide, polluted nearby waterways and made their neighborhood loud at all hours of the day. Quigley says he wishes they’d handled their concerns differently.
“Nobody ever came to me,” Quigley added. “It was just, let’s take action and sabotage this man’s business and his life. It’s gone beyond my business; it has affected my life.”
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The Department of Environmental Protection ordered Quigley to pay to fix all of the damage, which he says will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Quigley says he’s fighting to stay in business and it’s his livelihood, but it’s going to be tough. For now, he’s moving his business to a commercially zoned area and says he’ll do right by his neighbors.
“Every day is a challenge,” Quigley said. “We’re trying to make progress to continue to grow and stay employed, and live and make a good living.”
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