Sunday, May 20, 2007

LARGE TURNOUT AT HASTINGS MEETING RE: CON ED AND CLEAR CUTTING OF TREES

Most of the seats at the Hastings Village Hall meeting room were taken up Sunday afternoon at a community meeting to discuss Con Ed's plans to cut trees. Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins, Legislator Tom Abinanti, Assemblyman Richard Brodsky's office, Hastings Trustees Danielle Goodman and Diggitt McLaughlin expressed their thoughts on this important quality of life issue.
The consensus: Con Ed needs to cut trees to prevent power outages. But-- there should be some oversight. Local governments should be able to retain the services of an independent arborist who could help make sure that trees that are not in danger of falling on power lines and disrupting service are not cut.
Cut trees contribute to flooding problems and erosion.
I have asked the Town Board to schedule a work session discussion of this issue for THIS TUESDAY AT 3:30 PM AT TOWN HALL. You are invited to attend.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Be aware, though, that ConEd is already working with an arborist for this project. There is no requirement or incentive for ConEd to pay for an extra arborist who is town-approved. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea, but the town would have to pay for it or come up with some amazing incentive for ConEd to agree to pay for an extra arborist.

Anonymous said...

I think we all have to accept that there is a trade-off between reliable electric power and trees. I would like to see the Town ask a aborist to provide a course in "Trees for Dummies" to help homeowners decide what type of trees to plant and how to maintain them.

Anonymous said...

Do homeowners "own" the trees in the right of way.
Can Con Ed cut down trees on private property?
Maybe the "Trees for Dummies" has a chapter on this.

Anonymous said...

Hal,

I was trying to suggest something positive, how the Town could help homeowners help the environment.

Trust you to turn it around.

Anonymous said...

these comments are coming from the same people who were yelling why is the power out can't con-ed do something

think this is pretty funny now that they are doing something you want it stopped

Anonymous said...

"Can Con Ed cut down trees on private property?"

Of course, and I'm sure glad that they can! I trust ConEd far more than I trust typical homeowners or the Town to decide about a tree's impact on power lines.

Anonymous said...

There has been a change in weather patterns. We are getting a bit stormier weather than in previous years. Where a tree or trees may fall on public property it may be an occasion to think of getting it down. However, for each tree taken down we should think of replacing it. Trees add beauty to the town, trees help the environment by absorbing carbon emissions.

Anonymous said...

It looks like some of the contributers here are missing the point. The fact remains that Con Edison is functioning in the dark ages because of Section 48 Article 7 of state PSC law. This allows Con Edison to destroy local communities with their substandard environmental practices. It gives them exemption from local environmental laws and oversight. We are fortunate to have Supervisor Feiner trying to address this matter at the local level.

Anonymous said...

I have the High Tension Con Edison distribution lines in my back yard. Last year they first notified us with a post card a few weeks in advance and then a CE rep who was an enviromentialist came door to door to explain what was going on. They did come onto my property but they also pruned the trees to make the grow better. I belive Con Ed is a very professional company and that they will work with home owners. They did with me.

Anonymous said...

No, I understand the point, and I disagree with it fully. The priorities of ConEd may supercede those of a municipality. That is state law, and I agree with it.

Also, it doesn't matter how many rallies and local policies there are. Any changes would have to be effected at the state level. Con Ed cannot and should not be expected to alter its practices on a town by town basis.

Finally, I do not feel that we are fortunate to have the supervisor addressing this at a local level. It diverts his attention from many neglected topics of local importance that actually can be remedied.

Anonymous said...

How come Steve Bass is blocking the tree law that the town needs so desperately? Isn't that hypocritical?

Anonymous said...

The tree law as last drafted would prevent homeoners from doing simple maintenance without town permission. It needed work. It was meant to stop developers from chopping down every tree in sight. If we keep an eye on developers, particulary the friends of feiner, including morgan, that will help.

Anonymous said...

how come its taken more than 3 years to correct the tree law draft? Meanwhile, we have no protection.

Anonymous said...

Steve Bass claims he wants to save the trees. He promised the community a tree law a few years ago and has killed the proposed law. We're waiting, the trees are coming down, down, down. Talk is cheap. We want action. No rhetoric. a new law.

Anonymous said...

Bass has to ask McNally how she wants the law to read.

Anonymous said...

It is not true that Steve Bass is unconcerned about trees. It is just that Mr. Bass is afraid that Con Ed will want to cut down the dead wood on the Town Council:
Barnes and Juettner.

Don't take this as an endorsement of Bass (on the stumping ground with Barnes) or Sheehan. However it would be less than accurate to call them dead wood. Bass has Edgemont in his pocket and to write his material while Sheehan writes his own material and aspires to having Edgemont in his pocket.

Anonymous said...

Hal you're right on the button with Bass's and Sheehan's positions. I've been saying this right along.

Anonymous said...

They could have whomever they want in their hip pockets,but they are still not doing their job for all the peoples in Greenburg,As for the comatose ladies,by the time they wake up to smell the roses,they will be out of the position .We need young blood on the council .so don't forget to vote,comes election time for Brown and Morgan.

Anonymous said...

how long does it take the town council to re-draft a simple tree law that would provide protection for residents? 3 years, 4 years? A decade? A quarter century?
Action would be nice.

Anonymous said...

I can see people voting for Kevin Morgan but not S.Brown. She's upset because the Town did not pay her $ 30,000 to run a SAT camp at WCC, which by the way should be paid for by the schools or the student's parents. Their kids already geta free education.

Anonymous said...

Let's give Morgan a chance this time arround. If he proves himself there's a next time if not he's out. Let us all give it a try. We have to start looking outside the democratic party wheel which is going nowhere with the four on the present board.

Anonymous said...

I think a person could do what they want with their property. If I want to cut a tree who's business is it. It seems the problems are always at the Edgemont section. I have never heard about tree cutting in the rest of Greenburgh. If I need to cut trees to build a house,I will do so,since I paid for the property not my neighbors.Would one buy property just to have trees on it,I doubt it.

Anonymous said...

Check Morgan's credentials and you will see that he is more than qualified to be on the town board.