By Mary Malloy and Anthony Bottan
The village has launched a tree-planting program that will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The trees will be planted in the easement in front of residents' homes.
The program comes on the heels of the uproar in the village when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority removed the trees and shrubs along the Long Island Rail Road's right of way. It will be coordinated by the village's Department of Public Works, whose personnel will determine whether a property has enough room for a tree. All interested homeowners are encouraged to participate in the program; they do not have to have a dead or damaged tree that is in need of replacement to be eligible.
"We will be offering several species of trees, chosen according to planting locations," DPW Superintendent Phil Healey explained. "We will be offering pear trees, linden trees and honey locust trees, which are species that are typically hearty." Healey added that the department will try to avoid a "monoculture" by planting a variety of species. "Disease might come in, but if there is a variety, it's less likely for all trees to be wiped out," he said.
"I heard about this, and think it's a great idea," said Diana Lenzo, a resident of Crab Avenue. "Years ago they didn't always plant the right trees, or some of them had to be taken down because of disease. I think it's wonderful."
According to Healey, the village anticipates planting just over 350 trees. The cost is estimated at $59,000.
"Tree-lined streets and shrubbery contribute to Lynbrook's charm and allure," said Mayor Brian Curran. "This program has been initiated to fortify and continue the beautification of Lynbrook for years and decades to come."
Then, falling leaves
In a 3-2 decision that contradicted a vote last year, the village board recently announced that it has restored the leaf collection program that it had used up until 2005. In 2006, residents bagged their own leaves, which were picked up by the DPW. Beginning Nov. 27, the DPW will make one pass through each quadrant of the village to collect leaves along every street. Signs will be posted to remind residents of the collection date in their neighborhood.
Due to the limited reach of the leaf collection vehicles, Healey requested that residents rake leaves as close to the street as possible. When piling leaves at the curb, he said, be mindful of culvert or storm sewer openings. Leaves can clog them, creating drainage problems in inclement weather. Leaves should be raked in long, neat rows that do not exceed five feet in width.
Healey said the DPW would use its larger machines, such as payloaders, to pick up the leaves. He explained that collectors would start at opposite ends of the street, and push leaves toward the middle. They will then load them onto trucks, which will be unloaded at a Town of Hempstead transfer site. The leaves will eventually end up at a compost site. "We mechanize leaf collection as much as possible," Healey said.
But Trustee Richard Clifford, who, along with Trustee David Penso, voted against the program this year, said that the new method would involve three times the amount of labor as when leaves were picked up in bags. "When we stopped the program," he said, "there was a $35,000 productivity gain. That $35,000 was able to be used elsewhere ... and the leaves still got picked up via bags."
With higher fuel and labor costs, Clifford said, the program would be "counterproductive and economically inefficient."
"The taxpayers are not getting the best bang for their buck," Clifford said. He added that he is concerned about the damage that may be done to streets. "Anytime you scrape a piece of metal across a roadway, it can cause damage," he said.
A payloader, Healey said, is more efficient with the DPW's available manpower. He said the goal is to complete the collection process in four working weeks, with the goal of collecting as much as 420 tons of leaves.
For more information about the tree planting or leaf collection program, call the Lynbrook Department of Public Works at (516) 599-8838.
Comments about this story? MMalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
