Village takes down 50-75 trees

The Village of Rockville Centre completed work last week to remove trees north of the Skelos Sports Complex that were downed and damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

According to a village spokesman, workers from the village’s Department of Public Works removed 50 to 75 trees that were downed or damaged by the hurricane in October. The surrounding brush was also removed.

To make up for the lost trees, the DPW will be planting new trees at the Skelos Sports Complex every year for the next 10 years. The goal is to have 50 trees planted by the end of this year and 500 by the end of 10 years.

The work was completed by village workers but will be submitted to FEMA for reimbursement. The village is likely to recoup 80 to 90 percent of the cost of the work. The total cost of the work was not known at press time.

Because such a large area adjacent to the Skelos Complex was cleared (between the complex and the Southern State Parkway), the village is exploring options of expanding the park.

“After Superstorm Sandy, our department of public works met with representatives from FEMA and it was determined that, in the interest of public safety, many of the trees in the area needed to be cleared out due to the severity of the damage they sustained,” said Mayor Francis Murray. “While this was unfortunate, it does provide us the opportunity to investigate different uses for the newly cleared land, such as the possibility of building a new athletic field for the community.”