Tree removal angers CSEA

By Alex Costello

acostello@liherald.com

The Rockville Centre Civil Service Employees Association plans to file an improper practice charge against the village for using a private contractor instead of Department of Public Works employees to remove trees adjacent to the Dean Skelos Athletic Complex last month.

Local CSEA President Shawn Brite claimed that he was told by Harry Weed, Rockville Centre’s superintendent of public works and sanitation, that the tree removal would be done by workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Instead, a contractor did the work.

Between 50 and 75 trees next to Skelos Field that were damaged or downed by Hurricane Sandy were removed. The work was approved by FEMA, the village said, and the agency will refund 80 to 90 percent of the cost of the work. But the use of a contractor instead of village workers angered the CSEA.

“[The tree removal] work was performed instead by an outside contractor hired by the village, in direct violation of contract language prohibiting such an eventuality,” said union spokesman Rich Impagliazzo. “We will seek appropriate remedies to prevent a repeat of such actions.”

The local CSEA represents 136 full-time village employees.

Impagliazzo said that the CSEA is not looking for financial compensation for the alleged breach of contract, but is instead meeting with village officials to make sure it does not happen again.

A village spokesperson confirmed that private contractors removed the trees, and said that the village deemed it the safest and most cost-effective way to do the work.

“Our overriding concern is that [residents] understand any reimbursement the village receives from FEMA relates to work done by an outside contractor,” Impagliazzo said, “and not the DPW workers in the Village of Rockville Centre, who rightfully should have been assigned this task.”