There will be a public forum on Sunday, May 20th at 3 PM at the Hastings Train Station near the Con Ed substation to discuss the Con Ed clear cutting taking place all over Greenburgh and the villages. Con Ed has been embarking on a drastic program of tree cutting and removal affecting all trees growing within the following parameters, 10 feet along the sides or underneath distribution power lines; 15 feet from the top of said power lines. Con Ed has NYS authority to override any municipality veto in this matter and can cut down whole trees or part of trees without permission whatever they deem appropriate. They claim they are doing this to lessen the possibilities of future power outages.
Removing or destroying trees can result in more flooding (which is already a problem) because each tree drinks up hundreds of gallons of water daily. Drastic tree cutting will may cause trees that are trimmed to die.
WE ADVOCATE---each municipality should be able to retain the services of our own registered arborists to be paid for by Con Ed to ensure that only trees that are in danger of falling or causing power outages are cut. The health of the trees to be trimmed should be protected. Con Ed should also consider flooding impacts prior to cutting trees. Faith Evans is chair of the committee.
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If last summer's fiasco in Queens is any indication, Con Ed does not have the technical, administative, or planning skills to be given absolute oversight of a tree cutting program that will have a devastating impact on the beauty and livability of all our towns. Con Ed is asking for a huge rate increase at the same time...outrageous. There should be an enormous public outcry about this, but in truth, it is still a stealth operation...very few people here in Hastings know what's about to happen. Everyone should take a drive to have a look at the disgusting amputations in the Heatherdell area. Besides flood control, there are plenty of other good reasons not to sacrifice our trees for the sake of storm damage that may never happen: Trees shade houses in the summer, cutting the need for air-conditioning (and power use) on hot days. Trees help oxygenate our air and keep it clean. Trees enhance property values everywhere, which highly visible poles and wires do not--these eyesores are buried in every pricey development. Has anyone proposed having Con Ed undertake a cable/wire burying program in "at risk" areas of our towns, instead of destroying century-old native trees?
Somehow we seem to forget that we are also the consumers who pay for all of this, whether it is the loss of power, or increased rates to cover Con Ed's costs. When someone says that Con Ed should pay, where do you think it will get the money from? Us.
The cost of burying the cables in Westchester has been estimated at $5 or $6 BILLION. Who will pay? We will, if that is what we want. There is no free lunch.
Let's just understand the basic economics of a regulated utility. I am not a Con Ed employee or stockholder.
ConEd has already hired an arborist, so what motivation would they have to hire an extra arborist who's Greenburgh-approved?
When approaching this situation, remember that ConEd doesn't have to anything a town or village requests, even if it goes against local law.
Unincorporated Greenburgh management, in particular, has fostered negative relations with ConEd in the past, so hopefully someone with public relations skills will handle the town's requests with ConEd representatives. (Remember, ConEd has the upper-hand, not the town or villages.)
Who does the Town of Greenburgh have good relations with????
There is no such thing as "unincorporated Greenburgh management."
There is only one government of Greenburgh -- and village residents, who constitute the majority of the town's population, get to elect it.
If "negative relations" with Con Ed have been fostered in the past, and they have, they've been fostered by Feiner, whom village residents helped to elect.
Con Ed usually responds to the supervisors complaints.
Con Ed's response to the Supervisor's complaints have been directly proportional to the respect he has shown their representatives. A more informed, personally responsible, economically literate supervisor will undoubtedly engender a better response from Con Ed.
Con Ed has provided merchants on E Hartsdale Ave with help quickly, after being contacted by the Town Supervisor.
BEWARE of Democratic loudmouths who will attempt to take over this meeting to seek the Town Entire's support in fighting Hastings riverfront development. I'm thinking of a particular shrew who bends with the wind to get Town bucks to fight Ridge Hill or support for shutting down Indian Point. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Every opinion does not require the Town opening its wallet. Private contributions are fine with me.
How could one say that Feiner does not get things done. Have you seen any of the town board help these merchants out. NO..Feiner has done a great job.
HASTINGS BEWARE OF BULLDOG sHEEHAN. hE'S SHARPENTING HIS TEETH TO DIG INTO THIS MATTER.
Just to be clear, my warning re this matter is not about Sheehan.
Anon at 12:54 must be joking -- and it's a cruel joke at that.
Unless you call issuing meaningless press releases and posing for photo-ops help, Feiner hasn't done jack to help the dozen or so flooded merchants in Hartsdale village.
The town knew in 2005 that flooding would occur there, even following a moderate rainstorm, because the town's main drain pipe was too small and, in any event, was clogged with debris.
Feiner did nothing about that for two years.
And even while the town knew flooding on East Hartsdale Avenue was inevitable, and even though Feiner had time to issue a press release two days before the April nor'easter congratulating himself, Colbert-style, for getting the town's storm drains cleaned, they weren't cleaned on East Hartsdale Avenue and Feiner never warned the merchants and property owners there to protect their property and/or move it to higher ground.
The result is millions of dollars in damage, more than a dozen closed businesses, and the permanent loss of at least 4 and possible 5 stores.
Even worse, instead of immediately directing the town to come up with an emergency plan to safeguard the area against future flooding -- something which might help lure the businesses back and protect those businesses that have just borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars to re-open -- Feiner is talking about commissioning an "independent study" to determine what happened -- as if the town doesn't already know.
In fact, for all his talk about "open government," Feiner still hasn't released the town's 2005 memo on the causes for the Hartsdale flooding -- even though it's been reported on in the newspapers.
If you are a village resident and you're reading this, please understand that the time for new leadership in Greenburgh is now.
Thanks for your warning, Bob.
But if you're writing to the Villages, they've got to ask themselves, has your weapon fully discharged, or is there one more bullet left, and will they love you in December as they don't in May.
Hey Bernstein,was Feiner told of the findings by Al Regula,in2005. Before you start more character assination. get your facts straight. Like some one said earlier, if you have the proof that he was told let us know.You're just making the people in your area and other areas hate you all the more. Stop this nonsense.Your supposed to be a grown man not a child,and a lawyer at that. Your lucky that there is freedom of speech,or you would be in the hoosgow a long time ago. Grow up.
Why the personal attacks against Bernstein?
He wasn't the one we saw attacking Feiner on News12 last night. The merchants and residents on East Hartsdale Avenue were.
All Bernstein appears to have done is tell a Journal News reporter last week that the town should have heeded a 2005 inter-office memo warning that flooding on East Hartsdale Avenue was inevitable because of infrastructure issues.
If Feiner didn't know about the memo, he should have because it's his job to know about the town's major infrastructure needs; and if he did know about it, he should have make it public.
There is an April 20, 2007 memo reminding Feiner of that 2005 memo. He's had nearly a month to make that 2005 memo public -- and he still hasn't done so.
These are all objective facts --none of which appear to have anything to do with Bernstein.
"Con Ed usually responds to the supervisors complaints."
Sometimes, but they mock him behind his back, argue about whose turn it is to deal with him this time, and put him off as far to the back burner as possible.
How would you know what dealings Feiner has with Con Edison.You must be a member of the board,to knit and pick this way.Does he get the job done, thats the most important thing ,something that you yourself cannot do.
con ed has always been responsive to the supervisors complaints.
I find it very hard to believe the statement that "each tree drinks up hundreds of gallons of water daily". Who/What is the source of this supposed fact?
Hal - wasnt that Feiner?
"con ed has always been responsive to the supervisors complaints"
LOL ... I always get a kick out of your posts.
And no, I'm just a ConEd employee who actually knows ConEd's perception of Feiner and how we "handle" him and his childish, unprofessional ways.
Con Ed has solved my friends power outages after the supervisor called them. Feiner gets things done.
I attended a meeting earlier this year at the invitation of the supervisor. Con Ed was in attendance and promised to give attention to Edgemont residents.
Con Edison has been allowed for too long to function outside the realm of accepted practices and regulations regarding environmental issues. They can get away with just about anything because of the way our state functions, and the exemptions they have from relevant laws. The laws are biased in their favor. I applaud Supervisor Feiner for trying to address this matter and not running away from it. Con Edison has to come out of the dark ages. So does the PSC. We need legislative change in Albany to bring Con Edison into compliance with accepted standards and practices when it comes to this type of environmental work.
A lot of people want better regulation of utilities, including Spritzer. I doubt any of them speak to Fiener.
What makes you think that Spitzer does not talk to Feiner, They may not socialize together,but when it comes to government affairs the do converse. Do you talk to Spitzer????Or does he talk to you.
I read the interviews with the candidates for the Democratic Party nonimation in the Scarsdale Inquiror. Feiner does not hold the party in high regard. When asked about the Greenburgh Democratic party convention, he responded that he would always talk to constitutents, in effect, regarding the Democratic party leadership as irrelevant. Which if he keeps getting re-elected, he may view as irrelevant to his continuing to get a paycheck. But if he is saying the democratic leadership is unimportant to him, then one has to question what he means to them.
Let's forget about the trivialness of who socializes with who. 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. When will Gov. Spitzer address it at the state level? The PSC provides little oversight in such matters.
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