Con Ed has begun to clear many trees throughout the area - a follow up to the power outages that took place last year. The tree cutting may be a necessary action to help reduce the possibility of future massive power outages.
The clear cutting of trees at different locations is creating an eyesore and possible safety concerns. For example, on Ridge Road, north of Heatherdell, virtually all of the trees have been cut down along the Sprain. The character of the community is being impacted--negatively. Greenburgh is losing the green in our name.
A section of the Bronx River Parkway, north of the county center has also seen trees clear cutted.
There are safety issues. On Ridge Road the trees provided a little protection for cars in the unfortunate event that they skidded off the road so they would not fall several stories onto the Sprain. I suggest that smaller trees/bushes be planted at this location and have been asked by constituents to look into the possibility of placing a guard rail or fence behind it so drivers and passengers won't fall off the edge onto the Sprain.
I suggest that if a tree is cut that a tree be replaced with another smaller planting so we can keep the green in our community.
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I've never written on a blog before, but this problem has me very upset. I have witnessed the clear cutting being purpetrated by Con Ed. It's awful! Con Ed should be more responsible to the Towns they are impacting. Just saying they are a public utility does not give them license to destroy the environment unchecked. It's not like they are doing this for our benefit alone. They are a profit making organization and taking down the trees cuts saves them money by cutting repair costs. This is understandable but taking down all the trees and leaving naked swaths of land with nothing but steel towers on them is outrageous! What they are doing is extreme and the Town deserves to receive remediation for the damage they are causing. Home values are being effected not to mention the damage to the environment and the green of the Town. It's shameful. There must be something we can do to stop them or to get them to provide for tree replacement. I suggest that they line the right-of-ways with pine trees. They would provide a green barrier and not produce branches that would get tangled in the wires.
It may not be what we want to hear, but either the trees are removed or they may fall onto powerlines causing black outs. You have to take the good with the bad.
I moved here years ago because the area was green. The trees are not the problem, the problem is that they are not properly maintained. If these have to be removed, we can always plant trees that do not grow as large and have branches that will cover power lines. There are a great many variety of trees that can take the place of the ones that are being removed.
As for the blackouts, they are also caused by trees that are on the property of some people -- and people have to maintain what is on their property.
I too believe that Con Ed should plant new trees to replace the ones that are being removed. I agree that they are making a profit and that what they are doing is more about cutting expense to them rather than trying not to inconvenience the customer.
Definitely home values will be affected if we lose our trees.
CON EDISON did not have to cut the trees all the way down. The trees could have been trimmed down lower than the wires.In cutting the trees all the way down was a terrible mistake. Do you think Con Edison will plant trees at their expense. Never Happen.If they do you could rest assured the home owners will be paying for in one way or another.I do agree this is a disaster to happen if someone looses control of their car ,especially,after the town garage on Sprain Rd.A traffic barrier would be bad because there is a deep slope,where a car could go over the barrier and down the hill.This should have been studied before the project was started.
Why can't a variety of trees that will not grow to interfer with power be planted?
David Ferguson, vice-president, CWCWC, 411 West 22nd St. New York City, NY 10011
When Con Ed cuts down the trees there is a hue and cry, as there should be. When the Town of Greenburgh went around cutting down trees in Edgemont in retaliation for its own failure to maintain the trees along Central Avenue, all were silent.
What we have here, once again, is a failure to maintain. Budgetting money for routine maintenance, and levying sufficient taxes to pay for the work is not important to the Town. When a private individual tries to do what is right, the new tree law will make it too expensive, requiring "like and kind" replacement, but the pro-PETA trees-have-feelings-too crowd insists on politically correct greenness. Heaven forbid a corporate entity like Con Ed should act responsibly and remove imminent hazards - the unhappy souls of GREENburgh want to punish them.
Get over it. The Town is growing and change is inevitable. This isn't the clutch of tiny hamlets which elected a vegetarian, financially illiterate, otherwise unemployable left-wing do-gooder as a joke 16 years ago, Greenburgh is a growing and thriving community. If we hate the results of the growth, we have only ourselves to blame - egged on by a political crowd whose only interest beyond hearing themselves talk is being re-elected to another opportunity to gorge themselves and enrich their friends at Greenburgh's public trough.
Perhaps the Town ought to consider a residency restriction - if you weren't here when the current administration took office, you must immediately return to your point of origin. As each current resident dies, a new resident will be accepted in the same community (that's to maintain the "balance" between the A and B budgets). Like any other Greenburgh ordinance, significant political contributors will be able to take a meeting with the responsible-for-enforcement Town official and Ben Franklin will mediate a settlement...
It is an accident waiting to happen on the portion of Ridge north of Heatherdell. You don't realize what a drop could await you if you swerve off the road. Bad weather, a car coming too close, or elderly drivers - something's going to happen there unless some sort of protection is added.
Feiner chastises Con Ed at every turn. His motto is blame first and inquire about the details and the nuances of any issue either later or never. 16 years of his gadfly games is enough. No one will talk to Feiner. He is not taken seriously by anyone and is isolated on the town board. He has become a political liability for all of Greenburgh. Enjoy your view of the powerlines courtesy of the supervisor.
Did you not see the power lines before you purchased your home. You can't blame FEINER.Power lines have been here before Feiner took office,so why are you blaming him. YOU'RE SOUNDING LIKE HIS FABULOUS TOWN BOARD,BLAME FEINER,AT THE SAME TIME BLAME RUSSO,AND VETERAN IF THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.
I want to elect Anonymous at 3/13/2007 8:11 AM to be our new Town Supervisor!
Finally, someone who understands that "The Town is growing and change is inevitable. This isn't the clutch of tiny hamlets ..." and it never will be again.
We need to accept that Unincorporated Greenburgh is now a city (unfortunately lacking the legal status), no different than New Rochelle or Rye City.
And if the trees weren't cut down, they'd eventually cause power outages ... and people would whine about that. Put up a few guard rails and plant some shrubbery ...
Knight of Ni: (excitedly) THEN ... Then, when you have found the shrubbery, you must place it here, beside this shrubbery, only slightly higher, so we get the two-level effect with a little path
running down the middle.
But seriously, look for a solution, not another thing to whimper about.
"Enjoy your view of the powerlines courtesy of the supervisor."
I sort of agree with this statement. Sure, he didn't authorize the trees being cut down, but ConEd (like so many other business and political entities) knows to avoid and ignore Mr. Feiner's childish and poorly written rampages. Greenburgh is perceived as an pesky, though inconsequential gnat. So, like the boy who cried wolf, when an important matter arises, he's just not taken seriously.
Trees or Power your choice. I say cut them all.
I support efforts to reduce the potential of future power outages and believe that trees that are in danger of falling should be cut. However, I also believe that there should be replantings of smaller trees/bushes. Let's keep Greenburgh green.
I like the way "anonymous" is using this opporuntiy to rage against Finer but doesn't have the courage to put his or her name to it.
Con Ed should be a responsible citizen. Like the rest of us, they have a duty to protect the environment of the neighborhood. Greenburgh isn't a city...yet, and I for one, would fight to keep it that way.
Con Ed should be held accountable for tree removals.
On Feb. 9, 2009 at the County Center at a CAFÉ session sponsored by the Westchester County Government, Frank Peverly and Shakira Wilson from Con Edison spoke about the company’s plans for aggressive tree cutting. They stated that the aggressive tree trimming needed to be a balance of business requirements and the urban forest nature of the Westchester communities.
They said there would be talking with the homeowners and the municipalities. If this is not happening, Greenburgh should demand that it start immediately. At the meeting Mr. Peverly and Ms. Wilson indicated trimming would take place where possible. Based on current practice, it never seems to be possible.
At the very least Con Edison should be working with the Town Forestry Officer. Replacement trees should be provided by Con Edison. The immediate effect of the trees being removed is an increase in the storm water run off to the streets and a decrease in property values. The value of trees to our community’s environment is much more extensive.
The tax base of Greenburgh should not be eroded by a reduction in home values. The greenest of Greenburgh contributes to those values. Unincorporated Greenburgh has a population density and appearance comparable to towns in northern Westchester. Every effort should be made to maintain these features.
The entire Town Council, the Supervisor and the four Councilpersons, should authorize the Town Forestry Officer to contact Con Edison to develop a plan for replanting and restoration.
Are the trees on private property or on the Town right-of-way? Where the trees are on the right-of-way the Town has a legitimate interest and should be working out an economically feasible arrangement with Con Ed to replant and then maintain the trees. If the trees are on private property, the property owner should be dealing with Con Ed - and she/he should be supported in her/his efforts by the Town.
Trees grow. Unless they are maintained the unpredictable nature of their growth can interfere with power and communications lines, but no one has provided the consistent maintenance necessary. Any plan which simply replants trees without provision for their ongoing maintenance insures the problem will recur. Here is an opportunity to get it right - let's take it.
Jim - too bad your not running for something. Anybody but the hip shooting grandstanding Feiner can win. We just cannot afford him anymore.
Individual homeowners will feel powerless against Con Ed. How dare we abandon the individual homeowner! Don't they pay taxes to be protected by the Town from such an event? It's rediculous to say "if it's Town property we should care but if it's individual property, too bad for them, they're on their own". What effects the individual homeowner in the Town, effects all of the Town, especially when if comes to something like this. We have an obligation to speak as one voice against the wholesale felling of trees by any entity. Con Ed violates all of us when it wontonly destroys the enviornment of the Town without recourse.
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