2026-10-14 - Common Council Joint Parks and Recreation and Public Works Committee

00:02I know.

04:30>> Good afternoon.

04:32Or good evening.

04:34Good evening, everybody. We're going to

04:35start our meeting.

04:37Uh my name is Rita Paniagua, City

04:39Council President, and I'm here to

04:43start this joint committee meeting with

04:46Parks and Recreations and Public Works.

04:48Uh our chairs, Councilmember Hannah

04:51Horvath and Councilmember Shawn Moudy,

04:53will be leading and running this meeting

04:55today.

04:57Um we So, first we will have just to let

05:00everybody know how this will work. We're

05:02going to have our city um

05:05um um

05:06folks, people, commissioners, thank you.

05:09Uh present, and then the

05:13I'm sorry.

05:14We were joined by Oh, hi, Corey.

05:17And then we will have If you want, you

05:19can come in here when I'm done and yeah.

05:22Okay. And then uh the counselors will

05:24open it up for questions. And when the

05:27counselors are done asking their

05:29questions, then we will open uh the

05:32floor for for

05:34to listen to your comments. If anybody

05:35wants to come up to the microphone, you

05:38you are welcome to.

05:39Everybody will have 2 minutes to state

05:42your point.

05:44And then if at the end we have

05:46additional time or enough time and you

05:48haven't finished um exposing your your

05:52telling us your comments, then you can

05:54come back. So,

05:58at this point I'm going to hand the

06:00meeting to you.

06:02>> Thank you, Madam President. Welcome

06:03everyone today.

06:05I'm Counselor Ehrenreich. Um I wanted to

06:07introduce a just small visual

06:09facilitation guide before we kick

06:11everything off with the presentations.

06:13Thank you all for being here today.

06:16Um if you hear something that you love,

06:18it's the thing that you want to see all

06:20the time, I need a little jazz hands.

06:23Why don't you try it now?

06:27If you see something you like, you think

06:28that maybe moving in the right

06:30direction, possibly love it, not sure,

06:32just little thumbs up. Try again?

06:35Yeah? All right, cool.

06:36If you see something you do not like,

06:38you hear something you do not like, you

06:40want it to change, that is not something

06:42you are a fan of, thumbs down.

06:46Okay? You can raise them up. Just It

06:48helps us, right? So, if you hear

06:49something, you don't have to necessarily

06:51repeat it. We we heard that we got you.

06:54All right. And

06:55if we feel

06:57potentially, or if you feel potentially,

07:00that we have gone on too long on

07:02something or something needs to The

07:03point has been made. Gently move along.

07:06Just a little

07:08All right?

07:10Um 2 minutes is to make sure we can hear

07:12from everybody today.

07:14Very much value your time and attention.

07:16And again, just a little

07:19to us, too. Point's been made. We can

07:21move it along. Anybody have any other

07:23facilitation techniques we should put

07:24into play? Any other things?

07:26I think we got it covered. Hearing none,

07:28those are the ones we're going with

07:29tonight. Sounds good?

07:32Thank you. All right. Counselor

07:33Majewski, take it away.

07:34>> So,

07:36we [clears throat]

07:37as you heard, we have two departments

07:39here, uh

07:41Parks and DPW.

07:44Uh so, what we what what we are going to

07:46lead with is first DPW is going to lay

07:49it out how

07:52sidewalks and and and and trees work

07:55together, what what goes into removing a

07:58tree,

07:59right?

08:00What especially when you're putting in

08:02sidewalks and the specification and

08:04stuff like that.

08:06Okay?

08:07Make sense?

08:08>> Make sense. Then I'm going to hand it

08:09over to the deputy mayor.

08:10>> Listen, [laughter] okay.

08:11That's it.

08:12>> So, I just have a very very brief uh

08:15presentation and then obviously the most

08:17important part here is to hear from

08:18folks, so I will make it very short. Um

08:21but I want to on behalf of the

08:23administration, on behalf of

08:24Commissioner Bird, Commissioner

08:24Robinson, I want to thank the council uh

08:27for hosting this meeting and for

08:28everyone for coming out tonight.

08:30I just want to again, brief

08:32presentation, want to take us back for a

08:34moment um to

08:36why the municipal sidewalk program was

08:38founded in the first place um as it says

08:40initiated in 2021.

08:42You know, many of us remember

08:45um that there was a time when our summer

08:48was flooded with calls from property

08:50owners, particularly those on a fixed

08:52income, who had just been cited by the

08:54city for a sidewalk in disrepair, and

08:57now they were

08:59saddled with a 10, 12, 14, $20,000 if

09:04you lived on a corner, bill um

09:08because someone had complained about

09:09their sidewalk. It didn't matter whether

09:11or not it was a highly traveled

09:13pedestrian area.

09:14Um you know, again, folks on a on a

09:17fixed income for the first, and I know

09:19Commissioner Robinson remembers, for the

09:21first 3 years or so of the

09:23administration, that's what our

09:25summers were flooded with is calls from

09:26folks saying,

09:28I how am I supposed to pay this bill?

09:30So,

09:32you know, in 2021 we decided municipal

09:34sidewalks are really a the good, we all

09:36benefit from having a walkable city. So,

09:38we launched the municipal sidewalk

09:39program.

09:40Again, the city uses data from several

09:42sources to decide where the um sidewalks

09:45will be replaced. It's not only

09:46repairing existing sidewalks, it's also

09:48adding to our network. So,

09:50you know, as some folks know well, we

09:52added some streets this year that did

09:54not have sidewalks before to try and

09:56connect the existing network. All the

09:58work is paid for by program fees, which

10:00again everybody pays, not just prop- not

10:02just tax-paying entities. Everybody who

10:05owns property um has a sidewalk fee or

10:07they're reimbursed through CHIPS funding

10:09through New York State.

10:11The next slide just gives an idea of the

10:13scale of the program

10:15um you know, that we've been able to

10:16scale it up over the last few years.

10:19Um again, you know, the the goal here is

10:21sidewalks are a public good um and we

10:24all benefit from a more walkable city.

10:27That being said,

10:29the city also has a commitment to trees

10:31and the tree canopy.

10:33Um also in 2021, the city out of its uh

10:37funding that it received for the

10:38American Rescue Plan, committed $2

10:40million

10:41um

10:42to planting trees. And I can tell you

10:44because I went back and looked at the

10:46some of the social media comments in

10:472021 2021 when we announced that, that

10:51was not a universally popular decision.

10:53A lot of people said, "Why is the city

10:55spending $2 million

10:57on trees?

10:58We need roads. We need police. We need

11:00this. Why are we spending money on

11:02trees? This is a waste of money."

11:04Obviously, the city, the administration

11:06at the time didn't feel that way. We

11:08wanted to invest in trees. We know that

11:10tree canopy is important for climate

11:13change, for quality of life, um

11:16for property values. And so, there is a

11:19commitment from the city

11:20with regard to trees. Um I remember

11:23standing with Steve Harris here.

11:25There he is.

11:27I remember Steve, you and I standing at

11:28Clinton Square watching them cut off the

11:31the greenery at the top of the Sailors

11:33uh Monument. This was back in 2018 or

11:362019 and Steve said, "I'm a one-person

11:39arborist. The arborist team is one

11:41person."

11:42You know, and the city at that time

11:43really made the commitment to try and

11:45grow that team, which is two four, I

11:47think four people now. It's not as big

11:49as it should be, but it's certainly

11:50bigger than it was,

11:52you know, in 2018-2019.

11:55Uh the city joined the Arbor Foundation

11:57International program, Tree Cities of

11:59the World. We launched our first ever

12:01block pruning program, uh committing to

12:03maintaining 3,000 trees annually. And we

12:06have modernized the city's tree

12:07ordinance, and I thank the council and

12:09members of the public who engaged in

12:10that process because that was certainly

12:12a long time coming.

12:13So, we have a commitment to sidewalk. We

12:15have a commitment to trees.

12:18But, we there are challenges because

12:20obviously often times those two are in

12:22conflict. And I think

12:24it's fair to say that the city's

12:26approach to installing sidewalks with

12:28trees kind of went under the radar

12:31approach sidewalks in a more scattershot

12:33approach. When we were complaint-driven,

12:35we were doing a sidewalk here, a

12:37sidewalk there, you know, and once we

12:40started doing these long stretches, it

12:41has

12:42uh become apparent to us, particularly

12:45this season as it has for everybody,

12:47that we need to rethink the way that we

12:50evaluate um and mitigate tree loss as

12:53part of our sidewalk program. So, I just

12:54want to, for what it's worth,

12:57indicate that I hope tonight is not

12:59about convincing the city to care about

13:01trees. I absolutely understand from a

13:04resident's perspective, seeing the tree

13:06loss, thinking the city does not care

13:07about trees.

13:09It's not the case. I can tell you Mayor

13:11Owens cares about trees. Um she has, you

13:13know, tasked the city departments with

13:15getting together during this off-season

13:17when we're not going to be doing

13:18construction, to figuring out a way to

13:21mitigate the tree loss that we have. Um

13:23so, some of the current challenges,

13:25obviously communication and education.

13:27We don't We could do a better job of

13:30communicating where we're doing work,

13:32when we're going to be doing work, what

13:34that work is going to mean. Nobody

13:36should find out that your road is being

13:39paved, your sidewalk's being installed,

13:41your tree is coming down because you

13:42come home and find street spray paint in

13:44front of your house. It's not the way it

13:46should be done.

13:47Um a lot of the work we've been working

13:49with the communications team to

13:52um

13:52revamp a lot of the materials that we

13:55have and we just haven't So, the

13:57materials are there. We need to do a

13:59better job of incorporating it into a

14:01standard operating procedure that this

14:03is the time at which we notify residents

14:06that everything is planned, you know, so

14:08with that big caveat that everything is

14:10planned, plans change,

14:13um you know, weather is a is a a factor,

14:16what our other utility providers are

14:17doing is a factor and might make it so

14:19that we didn't get to your street this

14:20year, we do plan to get to it next year,

14:23but you know, availability of materials,

14:26weather, all those things factor into

14:28whether or not we're able to execute

14:29fully on our plan every year. But

14:31communication education, we need to

14:33improve that.

14:35Internal coordination, yeah.

14:37Internal coordination, you know, I think

14:39we've made a lot of progress with Dig

14:41Once, there's a lot more that we can do.

14:43Um as you know, engineering plans their

14:45projects years in advance and so you

14:47don't see as many concerns with

14:50engineering projects. DPW, you know,

14:53their planning right now is a bit it's

14:55shorter term than engineering, but we

14:57need better communication,

14:59you know, I

15:00I will say for those who have been here

15:02longer than I have, I do think the

15:03coordination is better among the

15:05operating departments than it was in the

15:07past, but we've still got improvements

15:09to make, especially with lead service

15:12line replacements that the water

15:13department is doing at a greater scale

15:15than they've done before. DPW is doing

15:17more sidewalks, more roads than we've

15:19done before,

15:20but we need to incorporate parks

15:24earlier on in the process.

15:26Not just to um have them weigh on weigh

15:29in on the streets we've already picked,

15:31but have parks also weigh in on which

15:33streets we end up choosing. So, not as

15:36if it's, you know, you get the decision

15:38once it's already been made, parks, but

15:41you're at the table when we're making

15:42those decisions. So, we really need to

15:44improve that internal coordination.

15:47And then at

15:47at the end of the day, it's just

15:49balancing the benefits that the the tree

15:51canopy provides. You know, like I said,

15:54climate change, um you know, trying to

15:56mitigate the impacts of that, quality of

15:58life, um making sure that the we're

16:01enhancing the tree canopy, that we're

16:02doing it in a way that is equitable

16:04across the city.

16:06We need to balance that those benefits

16:09with our desire to have a more walkable

16:11city, and I

16:12refuse to believe that we can't find a

16:14greater balance for that. I strongly

16:16believe that we can.

16:18So, just I think this is my last slide.

16:20Just considerations that we will be

16:22taking into account in the coming months

16:25once we are

16:26you know, as we're you know,

16:29Commissioner Robinson will tell you,

16:30we're talking snow way too early for

16:32DPW, but we are talking snow, and so

16:35construction is certainly winding down,

16:38and we use that downtime for

16:39considerations, ensuring communications

16:42and resident outreach is happening

16:44earlier in the process, not

16:46the day before we come. Um that we are

16:49having conversa- -tions. If we do feel

16:52that a tree needs to come down, that

16:53we're having that conversation with the

16:55residents well in advance of the work

16:57actually happening, so that it's a

16:58conversation and not just an action that

17:00the city is taking.

17:02We need to revisit the construction

17:03process.

17:05You know, we navigate somewhat around

17:07trees. We need to talk about what are

17:09the conditions, what is the threshold

17:11that drives us to navigate around trees?

17:13What separates we did navigate around

17:16this tree, we didn't navigate around

17:17that one. What are the standard

17:18operating procedures? And if I'm a

17:20resident, I'm saying you know, the city

17:23should already have those standard

17:25operating procedures in place.

17:27Fair enough. Uh I can't All I can tell

17:30you is this is what we're going to do in

17:32the off-season. Again, I think really

17:34seeing the scale of the sidewalk

17:36improvements that we've made,

17:37particularly this season, has brought

17:39home the reality that we need to do a

17:40better job of informing residents,

17:43mitigating tree loss, um structural

17:45soil, other material alternatives, using

17:484-ft sidewalks when we're able to do it.

17:52You know, 5 is ideal, but in what

17:54situation do we allow for 4-ft wide

17:57sidewalk? And I know Neil Burke is

17:58probably,

18:00um you know, throwing daggers at me, but

18:03there are times when we use it, and we

18:05need to have a more standard approach to

18:07when we use the 4-ft sidewalk. So, next

18:10steps, you know, Mayor Owens has already

18:12sent out the missive to all the

18:14operating departments that we need to

18:15get together, meet internally over the

18:18coming months, and I'm not talking 6

18:19months, I'm talking 1 to 2 months, and

18:22finalize what our standard operating

18:24procedures are for resident outreach and

18:26tree loss mitigation. So, you know, I I

18:29welcome the opportunity to hear from

18:30residents. Um

18:32you know, I know there's a been a lot of

18:34attention across the city. I know a lot

18:36of attention has also been in the

18:38Meadowbrook neighborhood, um because

18:40that's where a lot of the work has

18:41happened. Not all of it has been our

18:42work, some of it has been National Grid,

18:44but I I understand the concern. Again,

18:47West Nottingham, grew up in the

18:49Meadowbrook neighborhood, those trees

18:51were my trees, and I felt the same sense

18:53of uh uh

18:54disappointment, um when I saw the impact

18:58that our well-intentioned work to create

19:00a more walkable city was resulting in

19:02tree loss.

19:03Um and I will just share very briefly,

19:06when I bought my house, um

19:092013,

19:11when I bought my house, there were two

19:12big, beautiful trees, at least I thought

19:15they were, um,

19:16that provided shade in the front yard. I

19:19loved them. They were part of the

19:20character of the home.

19:22Unfortunately, the people who sold me

19:23the house had replaced their sidewalk a

19:25year or two before they sold me the

19:27house.

19:28As a result of that work,

19:30those trees

19:31within a a few years were no longer

19:33viable. And so, they both needed to come

19:34down. And so, now, thanks to the Parks

19:37Department, I do have lovely new trees.

19:39And I say that not to justify the taking

19:42down of trees, but just to convey that

19:45I'm a city resident. I lost my trees. I

19:48under I understand to the degree that I

19:50can the disappointment and frustration

19:52when things like that happen. And I'm

19:54just here to commit on behalf of the

19:55administration that we are determined to

19:58do a better job and to mitigate tree

20:00loss next season.

20:01>> Yep. And Deputy Mayor, um, you focused a

20:03lot on the sidewalk program. Can you

20:05mention the impact of curbing as well?

20:07>> we do that, real quick, uh, we made a

20:09slight gap. We did not introduce the

20:10councilors who are at the meeting today.

20:12Would you like me to do I can take care

20:13of that if you know.

20:14>> So, uh, we have Councilor uh, Moore,

20:17Councilor Nave, Councilor Arrowood,

20:20Councilor Majok, Councilor William,

20:22Councilor Mantou, and of course, our

20:23wonderful friend President

20:26Kenyatta.

20:26>> Rita Kenyatta.

20:28>> Um, so, Councilor Williams, that's a

20:29great question because curbs also

20:32play a factor in tree loss.

20:34Um,

20:35you know,

20:36under Commissioner Robinson's leadership

20:39with DPW, um,

20:40the commitment was made to try and

20:42stretch our dollars further, whereas in

20:44previous years,

20:46the city would spend, I think, over half

20:48of our road reconstruct reconstruction

20:51budget on granite curbs.

20:54We would say, no matter what condition

20:55they're in, we're going to replace all

20:57of them. And that's a significant amount

20:58of funding that is now not going to

21:00paving more roads, but is going to, um,

21:03replace curbs. Now, curbing is

21:04important. It's important for drainage,

21:06you know, a lot of people tie it to

21:08property values or quality of life. I

21:09don't have curbs, but I can understand

21:11it. Um and so what we try to do is only

21:14replace curbs where they need to be

21:16replaced. Um so, you know, that does

21:18result in us

21:20you know, sometimes doing kind of a

21:21patchwork of this curbing is fine, so

21:23we're going to leave that and further

21:24down on the block we're going to replace

21:25that curbing.

21:27The lessons that we are going to apply

21:29to sidewalks will be the same for

21:31curbing. They're

21:33I am sure I mean there are certain steps

21:35that we take now to try and mitigate

21:37tree loss with curbing.

21:39So, those solutions exist. We just need

21:41to do it more and have it more standard

21:43operating approach to, you know, when we

21:47are able to and when we decide to take

21:49that extra step and it's well-timed

21:51because we're putting together our

21:52capital plans now. Departments are now

21:54meeting with budget to put together the

21:55capital plans.

21:56You know, those things structural soil,

22:00you know, curbing, uh they might come at

22:02a higher cost, but

22:05doing it now with capital planning

22:06allows us to account for to put in that

22:09extra funding to try and make sure that

22:11um we're taking some of these approaches

22:13to mitigate the tree loss. So, it's the

22:14same lessons for sidewalk will be for

22:16curbing as well.

22:19>> Deputy Mayor, I have a question.

22:21>> Yes.

22:22>> First of all, I thank you for your

22:23compassion and empathy

22:25in helping Mr. Bolva um with his

22:28sidewalk. He really loves it the way it

22:32was

22:33and I appreciate all what you did.

22:36I also want to ask about

22:39um the sidewalks in my district and I

22:41think of Holly Ave where we got some bad

22:45trees, we got some bad sidewalks that

22:47were lifted. So, I would like to know

22:49how do district councilors work within

22:52the administration to get a suggestion

22:56to look at sidewalks that we believe

22:59that should be that we've discussed with

23:02about recent years to have them done.

23:04>> Mhm. I think it's a great point,

23:06counselor, and I think that is part of

23:08the work that we can do in sharing the

23:09plans sooner, so and providing the

23:12justification for why we're selecting

23:14the the streets that we are, and you

23:17know, sharing that information with

23:18counselors so that you can at least ask

23:20questions. You know, I think of when we

23:23rolled out the sidewalk snow removal

23:25program, there was a question as to

23:29um why we did, I don't know if Neil is

23:31here, why we did Teal instead of Midler.

23:33I think it was one of the um you know,

23:35why did we clear Teal and not Midler?

23:38And we were able to point to data to

23:40say,

23:42you know, the pedestrian traffic is

23:43greater here than it is there, you know,

23:45and so I think if if we don't provide

23:48the reasoning for why we're making the

23:49decisions that we're making, then people

23:51will fill in their own motives. And I

23:53want to make sure that those

23:56I can tell you those decisions are

23:57driven by data, but that doesn't do any

23:59good if we don't share that data with

24:01everybody so that there is a a rational

24:03explanation for why we're selecting

24:05certain streets over others. You know, I

24:07think of the road ratings that we have

24:09for paving. That information for those

24:11of you that don't know,

24:12SMTC, our partner in transportation,

24:14rates every single road in the city

24:17every single year. And there is a map

24:19available on the city website through

24:21SMTC where you can look and see what

24:23your road is rated at. You know, I know

24:27everybody thinks they live on the worst

24:28road in the city. You can see what the

24:30worst roads in the city are. Um and

24:32also, you know, um

24:34that helps drive our decision-making of

24:36when we pave roads because prior to

24:38that, people had no idea how we select

24:40which roads that we pave. We need to

24:42take that same approach to sidewalks.

24:47>> Are we ready to jump in or what?

24:49>> I would like the district counselors to

24:51ask whatever questions that they have.

24:55>> Corey, I guess I'll begin. Um Please do.

24:59I've been fielding calls from concerned

25:01residents pretty much all summer.

25:034:21 today was the last time I got a

25:05phone call about the tree canopy in our

25:07neighborhood.

25:09The resident did not know about the

25:10meeting tonight, but felt, you know,

25:12eager to express their opinion.

25:14You know, words we've heard about the

25:16neighborhood are, you know, clear-cut,

25:18post-apocalyptic,

25:20massacre, carnage, wasteland, and

25:24hearing these descriptions of my

25:25neighborhood, you know, is not why I got

25:28into

25:29into this game, right? You know, I want

25:31to want to do things to benefit the

25:32neighborhood. So, you're talking about

25:34lessons learned, right?

25:38Forgive me for not having confidence

25:40that we can go from the current state,

25:42which, you know, involves the

25:43descriptions I just mentioned, to the a

25:45future reality in a 1-2 month period

25:49where we have coordination between DPW

25:52and Parks, where we have oversight of

25:56Grid and, you know, our external

25:58contractors.

26:00What can you say to the council and to

26:03the residents to assure us that

26:06we can get to that point. You know,

26:08government moves slowly, and you're

26:10talking about a significant,

26:12really sizable shift in the course of a

26:15couple months, and I just I don't

26:17believe it.

26:18>> Mhm. That's I think that's a that's a

26:20fair concern and skepticism. I would say

26:23not every

26:25um problem plaguing coordination between

26:28city departments results in a email

26:30directly from the mayor to department

26:33leadership. This one has. Um you know,

26:36the mayor emailed Commissioner Bird and

26:39Commissioner Robinson and me and Chief

26:41Operating Officer Kevin Henry and

26:43Arborist Steve Harris and many others to

26:46say, "I want us to get together and

26:47figure this out." And my

26:50um response to the council is hold us

26:52accountable. So, let's, you know, before

26:55the end of the year let's get together,

26:58whether it's in a public forum, however

27:00however the council would like to do it,

27:01and assess our progress and see where

27:03we've where we've landed because um

27:07before the end of the calendar year will

27:08be well in advance of when um

27:11construction actually starts. So, it you

27:13know, would still give us some time um

27:16to for the council to um hold the

27:18administration accountable and it

27:20wouldn't be too late construction's

27:21already started. So, my response to that

27:24is hold us accountable.

27:25Don't just take our word for it. Call us

27:27back here and have us present what our

27:29what our approach is going to be.

27:30>> Yeah. And I think

27:33one of the big lessons I learned

27:36was as you alluded to around

27:37communication. And

27:40the words that you used tonight talk

27:42about informing residents. That implies

27:45one-way communication. Whereas I think

27:47that we need to be doing more than

27:49informing residents. Right? There needs

27:52to be two-way communication and

27:54dialogue.

27:56You know, what we have what we've

27:59experienced

27:59>> say engagement. Yes, it should have been

28:01engagement than an information. That's a

28:02fair point.

28:03>> More than anything what I think

28:07our neighbors and what our community

28:08wants to know is that all alternatives

28:11have been identified and explored. And I

28:16think that part of the communication is

28:18being able to get to the granularity of

28:22that particular tree and say, "Here is a

28:24tree. Here is the decision that was

28:25made. Here's why it was made and here

28:27are the things that we identified and

28:29explored. And this takes time, right?

28:33And

28:35you know, here we're putting process

28:36over progress.

28:38You know, we might not get the you know,

28:40expanded from 4 to 12 miles of of

28:43sidewalks. Maybe we have a more moderate

28:45number. Maybe it'd be eight, but we do a

28:47more comprehensive and thorough job

28:49around the actual investigation

28:52exploration of, you know, the impacts on

28:55our green infrastructure rather than

28:56simply focusing on the gray

28:57infrastructure.

28:59Um

29:01And, you know, I think that it's always

29:03easy to mention communication. You know,

29:06it seems like it should be

29:08the easiest part of our job, but minds

29:10up being something really challenging.

29:13>> Yes.

29:13>> And, you know, I'd like to communicate

29:15the frustration of a number of our

29:16residents that reached out looking for

29:18communication and we're not given so.

29:22Um you know, they were everything from

29:25formal

29:26Freedom of Information Act requests that

29:29were not granted um to a series of

29:32questions to, you know, the the Parks

29:35Department DPW, the mayor's office

29:37looking for anybody to have that

29:39conversation with and it just went

29:41completely unanswered. Um

29:44So, how do you envision that process of

29:47not just being one where we inform

29:50residents that their tree is coming

29:52down, but actually being able to provide

29:53information around the process?

29:55>> Yeah, I mean, I think I it's a totally

29:57fair point. I don't disagree. Um

29:59I think part of the challenge for us is

30:01to have the conversation early. The

30:03conversation

30:05the time to have the conversation about

30:07whether or not a tree, you know,

30:09because let's be realistic, there will

30:11be some trees that we are going to lose

30:12as part of this process. Um you know, we

30:15we won't be able to save them all, but

30:16to your point, if we don't share with

30:19residents our decision matrix or how we

30:22arrived at this decision, then they're

30:24understandably going to fill in motives

30:25that the city is they just went with the

30:27easiest thing that, you know, they're

30:29too lazy to consider all these factors,

30:32which, you know, absent information, I

30:34can understand that. And so, to your

30:36point, we need to provide the

30:38decision-making process and engage with

30:40residents and do it early. The time to

30:42have the conversation is not when the

30:44spray paint is already on the tree. You

30:46know, and I know that residents have

30:48been put in that position. And so, you

30:50know, we need to have these

30:51conversations earlier so that we can

30:53engage in that in that sharing of the

30:55information, in that back and forth. You

30:57know, again, with the understanding that

30:59we all agree that some trees are going

31:01we are going to lose some trees. Um but

31:03at least engaging

31:05with residents so that um you know, we

31:08can share with them the reasoning. Um

31:10and again, my hope is that we're

31:12engaging with less and less residents

31:13because we have found other ways to

31:15mitigate the tree loss.

31:17>> And at the beginning, you alluded to an

31:20inherent conflict between

31:22you know, trees and sidewalks, you know,

31:23green infrastructure and gray

31:25infrastructure. Who is the ultimate

31:27decision maker that a tree comes down

31:29and that is both

31:31a question for our internal processes

31:34when it's our Forestry Department and

31:37you know, who's the ultimate decision

31:38maker if we're talking about

31:39contractors?

31:42>> So, I don't know that there is one

31:44universal answer right now, which is

31:46part of the problem. Um and that's what

31:48we need to decide is that is it if there

31:51is an inherent conflict between

31:54Parks and DPW and that DPW is saying,

31:57"We've explored all the other options.

31:59We don't think there's any way to save

32:00this tree." And Parks is saying, "We

32:02think we can continue to save that

32:04tree." What is the escalation? Um is it

32:07to Kevin Henry as Chief Operations

32:09Officer? Is it you know, somebody else

32:10in the mayor's office? How is it that

32:12we're going to make that decision? But I

32:13think

32:14we need to start by having the matrix

32:17and having the the mode for escalation

32:20because what I also don't want is for us

32:23to be reactive because there are

32:24neighborhoods who lost trees this

32:26construction season who didn't reach out

32:28to the council. And I want to make sure

32:30that we're not prioritizing only

32:32neighborhoods that we hear from, but

32:34neighborhoods that that hear from, it's

32:35okay to do whatever we want. That's not

32:38that's not the way we operate, that's

32:40not the way we want to operate. We want

32:41this to be a data-driven process and

32:43provide some consistency and

32:45predictability

32:47to residents.

32:49>> I will allow my colleagues to

32:51>> So, I have a quick quick question. Um

32:54so, you talked a lot about coordination

32:56and stuff and, you know, I think about

32:58when someone's um redeveloping a a

33:00building, right? And they have lots of

33:03different contractors, electricians,

33:04plumbers, blah blah blah.

33:05And the city has the same issue. We have

33:07parks, we have DPW, we have um

33:11I don't know who else we have. Water.

33:13And right now, like when my constituents

33:15ask me, "When is my When are my lead

33:17pipes getting done? When is our street

33:19getting done? When are our sidewalks

33:20getting done?" I don't have an answer

33:22for them.

33:23So, one of the things I would really

33:25like to see is the long-term plan. Like,

33:27let's plan out for 10 years and say, "In

33:29the next 10 years, these are the

33:30neighborhoods we're going to get to and

33:32this is the work that's going to be

33:33done." And granted, I know that

33:36sometimes things happen and you may not

33:37stay right on perfect schedule, but at

33:39least we're giving them a little bit of

33:40an heads-up that in

33:423 years, you're going to get your

33:43sidewalks done. I just think a master

33:45plan like that would be super helpful to

33:48residents.

33:49That's all I got. Thank you.

33:51>> So, one quick question. So, when the

33:54cold weather is coming

33:56and it started already, which feels

33:58great, but it's going to be a lot colder

34:00within the next few weeks. So, to be

34:02able for you for the city to continue

34:06the sidewalk uh program

34:09what's the the temperatures that are

34:11that allow us, you know, what's the the

34:13cut

34:14that allow and and for planting as well?

34:17>> I'm looking at some of my subject

34:18>> Because we are replacing [clears throat]

34:19this with the

34:20>> they're not here.

34:21Can you

34:22Can you throw up numbers for a

34:24temperature, but I mean, it's got to be

34:25obviously above freezing.

34:27What At what temperature does it not

34:29make sense to pour concrete for

34:31sidewalks anymore?

34:32Freezing.

34:33>> So 35 degrees

34:34>> freezing.

34:3532, which I think we're going to hit

34:38supposedly this week again, right?

34:40>> Wait, I'm asking that is because you

34:41were telling us to keep you accountable,

34:43but that is something that

34:45I mean accountability needs to be

34:46working because a

34:49>> I will say if we

34:51have a warm October and November,

34:53Commissioner Robinson's going to have a

34:54lot of time on his hands to engage in

34:56this conversation. Um

34:57>> [laughter]

34:58>> And then

34:59>> But if it's a cold I mean like if it's a

35:01we have, you know, subject matter

35:03experts at DPW so that, you know,

35:05Commissioner Robinson's going to be

35:06turning a lot of his attention to snow

35:07and ice

35:09unfortunately sooner rather than he

35:10would prefer, but you know, there is

35:15you know, the contractor work will

35:16continue and what we're going to try to

35:18do is is is look towards the planning

35:20process for next year.

35:21>> And so you're you're

35:23One more question. So we're replacing

35:25trees with the ones we're pulling with

35:27that are coming down, right? So again,

35:30to plant these trees for them to live

35:32for the rest of

35:34>> Steve, what's the ideal planting season?

35:37>> April, May

35:39uh October, November.

35:40>> So then the trees would come in at that

35:42time. Okay.

35:44>> And so now we're talking about two

35:45different timelines. We're talking about

35:46the remainder of the current

35:48construction season and then the

35:50timeline that you identified for these

35:52large scale changes occurring which are,

35:54you know, ideally going to be next

35:55construction season.

35:56>> [clears throat]

35:56>> So what are we doing from today forward

35:58through the end of this construction

35:59season to make sure that the, you know,

36:02unwarranted and unwanted removal of

36:03trees doesn't continue at the current

36:05rate.

36:05>> Sure. I mean I can con- uh confirm with

36:07the team uh whether or not in terms of

36:10tree loss we're done for the season. So

36:13I can I you know, I'm pretty sure we're

36:15we're there for not we're close to there

36:16if not already, but if that's the

36:19directive then, you know, we'll be done

36:21with with tree loss for the season and

36:23we can turn our attention towards the

36:24planning and coordination that we need

36:26to do to prepare for next season.

36:28If I might.

36:29>> Please.

36:30I can go on.

36:31>> Thank you, Deputy Mayor.

36:32And we want to make sure we have enough

36:34time to to give everyone a fair shot

36:36here.

36:37I just want to say that I wholesale

36:39reject the assumption that walkability

36:40and trees are in opposition.

36:42Um I believe that there is room in the

36:44spec for DPW to use the trees that the

36:47arborist has deemed as healthy and able

36:50to maintain

36:52within the right of way that we already

36:54have. I think that we can adjust the

36:56spec to include trees as a fundamental

36:59part of our infrastructure.

37:01Um

37:03I think that there are some things that

37:04we can immediately change, but the

37:07perspective that we are a tree-first

37:09city would be a really healthy goal for

37:12the working group. That any trees that

37:15remain after the arborist has decided

37:17what trees are viable, that becomes the

37:20priority in DPW's uh assessment of both

37:23curbs and sidewalks. I also want to put

37:25out there that CHIPS funding, which is

37:27necessary for our streetscapes

37:29improvements, it allow it's federal

37:31funding that allows us to build roads

37:34back. And but once we do, we have to do

37:36the whole street, and we can't touch it

37:38again for 10 years.

37:40That is a huge impetus to make sure that

37:41we do all the curbs, we do all the

37:43sidewalks, we do all the infrastructure,

37:45and and we do it right.

37:47There are a number of streets in all of

37:49our communities that are lowland flat

37:51lying areas, that are flood plain areas,

37:54that need the curb support,

37:56and they need the mature trees to help

37:59with that structural stormwater

38:01mitigation

38:03in in the same measure. So, we should,

38:06when we're looking at that idea to build

38:09out again a master master plan

38:11organization, really prioritize, I

38:13think, CHIPS funding for those areas.

38:15And I know that that is difficult in

38:17terms of we have to use what we have,

38:18right? In terms we are we are

38:21sadly not as resource rich as we need to

38:23be.

38:24Um we do want walkability. We love I

38:26love expanded sidewalks, right? Expanded

38:29sidewalks are fantastic. But if there's

38:31a healthy tree there, I am really

38:33hopeful that we go down to the minimum

38:35viable standard of 4 ft. So and also

38:37curving sidewalks around through the

38:39right of way so that we can maximize the

38:41sidewalk usage while also maintaining

38:44the tree infrastructure. And that is

38:46something that I think we really need to

38:48focus on as we go forward. I think that

38:50we can update the sidewalk ordinance to

38:52allow some things like asphalt or

38:53flexipave in those areas where we have

38:55to go over tree roots. I am I know that

38:57some of these are not the things that we

38:59have in our spec right now and it's

39:01definitely something that we will need

39:02to negotiate out as viability allows. We

39:06are complying with PROWAG and ADA. That

39:09is 100% our guidance. It has been the

39:11guidance of the city. It has been the

39:13the

39:14navigating star and we all want that.

39:18But we also want to make sure that more

39:20trees are planted and if that includes

39:23amending [clears throat] the sidewalk

39:24ordinance ordinance to have a minimum

39:26standard trees,

39:27uh

39:28that might be some place we we also

39:30focus our attention.

39:32I apologize. One more thing here.

39:34>> [clears throat]

39:40>> Uh

39:42And then

39:43the other thing that I want to be clear

39:44about is

39:46in the the wonderful professionals that

39:48we employ in the city,

39:50there is absolutely a timeline for

39:51replanting.

39:52There absolutely is. What DPW and Parks

39:56has been trying to do is to make sure

39:58that National Grid's mains get updated,

40:01lead pipes get switched out, um curbs

40:04are replaced, sidewalks are replaced,

40:06and then once the sidewalks and the

40:08curbs are replaced with infrastructure

40:10that prevents our lovely, fabulous,

40:12wonderful trees from eating the rest of

40:14our infrastructure, um there are

40:16guardrails that the new infrastructure

40:17and street streetscape design recommends

40:20that the arborist will then come back

40:22and replant.

40:23I am wondering if there are any ways for

40:26us to buy more mature trees so that we

40:28don't lose as much canopy on the

40:30replacement. And if we can continue to

40:32working with neighbors to select from

40:35the list of trees that have already been

40:36approved by the arborist, what trees go

40:39in front of their property? And again,

40:41having these conversations when there

40:42isn't a saw at hand

40:45is the thing that needs to happen.

40:46>> Agreed.

40:47>> And that needs to happen with DPW when

40:49the arborist has made that selection of

40:51which trees are staying and which trees

40:52have to go.

40:54We understand that there is a healthy

40:55changeover of canopy that comes with

40:57mature trees aging and being

41:00uh, injured. But if we are creating the

41:02liability for the city that causes those

41:04trees to fall, like unfortunately the

41:06beautiful trees that you had when you

41:07moved in,

41:08that is harming ourselves. So, we should

41:11move forward. [clears throat] So, thank

41:12you very much

41:13>> I I just want to say if if I didn't

41:15think that we could find a balance to

41:18prioritize trees and still have a a

41:20walkable city, I don't think any of us

41:22would be here. And so, I appreciate the

41:23council's support in if there are

41:25ordinances that need to be changed, if

41:26there are, you know, other legislation

41:28that we need to introduce, um, to have

41:30your support. But I wholeheartedly

41:32agree, you know, we

41:35can do better and I am fully confident

41:38that the solution there, um, exists. We

41:41just need to get there and get the right

41:42people around the table.

41:43>> Corey, would you mind speaking to the

41:45decision-making process

41:46of granite versus concrete for curbing?

41:50Um,

41:51concrete

41:53less invasive, um, doesn't have the

41:56longevity of granite. Um,

41:58but other communities, including those

42:00in the snow belt, have made the other

42:03decision. How did we get to granite as

42:06the

42:07>> Yeah, I mean, I you know, and I'll defer

42:09to Commissioner Robinson and and any of

42:11his team that might be here. I mean, I I

42:13do know in terms of

42:15durability, our our plows

42:18>> That's our biggest concern is

42:19durability. Which we're talking 50 years

42:22for granite, what are we talking for

42:25It could be a season.

42:27Our plows are our way

42:28>> Take out a Take out a concrete curb.

42:30>> And then you have none.

42:32>> Yeah.

42:33So, I mean, I agree that it is a it is a

42:35major investment, which is in part why

42:38Commissioner Robinson has instructed the

42:40team to only do this where absolutely

42:41necessary because I think the idea,

42:44particularly while chips funding is

42:46available, you know, and we are paving

42:48more roads than we have in the past. So,

42:50you know, we are able to stretch the

42:51dollars further that

42:53I think the intent is to try and do it

42:55right while we're there rather than come

42:58back

42:59potentially, you know, every year, every

43:012 years to replace that concrete curb

43:03that's been

43:04hit by a plow.

43:05>> There is one more thing I do want to say

43:07about sidewalks and then I'm going to

43:08open the floor up.

43:10Um there have also been complaints at on

43:12a variety of different levels from

43:14people who are seeing

43:16sidewalks that were perfectly viable

43:19torn out and our most recently bid

43:22contract at the least very much narrows

43:24the entry point on a corners to a single

43:28point of entry and exit. So, we are

43:29taking out viable concrete that was much

43:33broader for bikers and

43:35walkers. Um and I think that there is

43:38some confusion about why that is and how

43:40that managed to become. And then there's

43:42also um some consternation for

43:45previously cement driveways when they're

43:47cut into being repaired by asphalt even

43:51though we pour cement into our

43:52sidewalks. Some of that is in our

43:55sidewalk ordinance right now.

43:57That we do not replace cement

44:00driveways or aprons and that is in the

44:02ordinance itself. So, I need to know if

44:05that language is there because of

44:07economics of or economies of scale or in

44:10terms of the availability of scheduling

44:13multi, you know, driveway replacement or

44:15if that is just how we did it in the

44:17past and there is some flexibility in

44:19terms of changing it for the future.

44:20>> Yeah. I mean, I to answer the last

44:22question, I think, you know, I think

44:24everything is on the table,

44:26um but in terms of why the ordinance and

44:28specs read the way that they do right

44:29now specific to corners and cement

44:31driveways, I'm not sure, Commissioner

44:32Robinson, if you

44:33>> That's an engineering

44:34>> Yeah, we'd have to get I I don't know

44:35off the top of my head, but I can

44:36certainly find out.

44:38>> Thank you.

44:38>> Yeah.

44:38>> I have

44:39one question a constituent bring this up

44:42to me, Deputy Mayor, is that

44:45um can the city install my new sidewalk

44:48and does it go

44:50I pay it from my taxes as was was the

44:53case?

44:54>> So, if so, I think that if I'm answering

44:57understanding the question, Counselor,

44:58if you are your street is not on the

45:00municipal sidewalk

45:01program for this year, but you want to

45:03replace your sidewalk

45:04>> a constituent

45:05>> you put it on your taxes the way that we

45:06did it before and you pay it off over a

45:09series of Yes, that option is still

45:10available.

45:11>> actually cuz I've had constituents ask

45:13me and we were not sure.

45:15>> Yes. Yeah, there has been unfortunately

45:17some confusion about that, um but that

45:21in my last conversation with the law

45:22department, it is still an option for

45:24folks.

45:24>> Okay, so it is an option. So, if a

45:26constituent wants to put a new sidewalk,

45:28pay for it, that's fine. So, if they

45:30want to uh have the city, what is the

45:33process

45:35of contacting the city? What is the

45:36process there someone from the city

45:38>> They contact you, Marty.

45:40>> Well, [laughter] they will contact Well,

45:41they will contact me and then I just

45:43want to make sure they have the right

45:45information.

45:46>> look to Commissioner Robinson of if a

45:48constituent is looking to have their

45:50sidewalk replaced. I mean,

45:53who they should be contacting. We

45:54obviously there's like me

45:56>> You know,

45:56>> besides Counselor Robinson.

45:58>> I mean, Counselor, you can always

45:59contact me and

46:00>> Yeah.

46:00>> All right, thank you.

46:01>> Yeah, but reaching out to DCDOT.

46:03>> All right, thank you.

46:04So, you know, I I don't want this to be

46:07just here because this is supposed to be

46:09a dialogue where we hear also from from

46:13the public as well, but I have one

46:15question. I'll save the rest

46:17and here maybe one of you will ask those

46:19questions.

46:20Commissioner, one of the biggest

46:23question I get

46:24especially when it come to sidewalk

46:27is people are saying, "You know what?

46:30I'm I'm okay paying into

46:33into all into the pot

46:35to be able to build municipal sidewalks.

46:38I'm okay with that. But, the biggest

46:39question is when is mine mine coming? Or

46:41do I just keep paying?

46:43Hop- hop- hoping that it one day it will

46:46show up. So, do we have

46:49any mechanism

46:51that the public could look at and say,

46:53"You know what? I guess

46:55it may take 2 3 years, but I'm hopeful.

46:57I'll wait."

46:59But, the question is when is it coming?

47:00That's the question I'm getting.

47:01>> I think that speaks to Council Moore's

47:03point of having more than a 1-year plan,

47:06having a multi-year plan because I will

47:07say Council, my own mother has asked

47:10that question because streets on either

47:12side of her have had sidewalks replaced

47:13and she goes, "Am I going to have my

47:14sidewalk replaced?" I'm like, "I don't

47:16know." She's like, "I don't understand.

47:18How do you not know?" I'm like, "Cuz I

47:20don't." Um and so, I think to Council

47:22Moore's point and I don't need to, you

47:24know, to step on Commissioner Robinson,

47:25but I think that speaks to having a

47:27multi-year plan available so that folks

47:30can plan. And to Council Navey's point,

47:32if I know the city's not going to come

47:34through and do my sidewalk for another

47:35decade, maybe I'll just do it myself,

47:37but I don't want to do it and then find

47:38out they're coming through next year to

47:40do it.

47:41>> Okay. [clears throat]

47:42So, um

47:44Commissioner, you want to add something?

47:45>> And yeah, I'm just saying it is a

47:46challenging thing to uh

47:50for for us to

47:51uh

47:54to construct sidewalks, right? So, it's

47:56a it's a challenging thing. so we we use

47:58data, we use uh uh our existing

48:01transportation team to go out and see

48:03what uh

48:05roads and uh

48:07sidewalks and and curbs are being im-

48:10implemented, and we tried to

48:13uh

48:14do a parallel buildout, meaning like if

48:17we're doing the road and we're doing the

48:19curbs, we might as well do the

48:20sidewalks. So, that all goes ties into

48:23what we do, and I have that question

48:25probably from 15 of my

48:28relatives, "When are you going to do my

48:30sidewalk, right?" I mean, I just can't

48:32go out and just do sidewalks, so there's

48:34a lot of things that go into it.

48:36>> [clears throat]

48:36>> Okay, so how do we So, we we have talked

48:39about a comprehensive plan. When how do

48:41we get this going?

48:43>> So, I can So, I can tell you that also

48:46um

48:47budget director Evan Loving is also

48:49pushing as part of the CIP process for

48:51us to create a multi-year plan, because

48:54right now our capital plan is 5 years,

48:56but it doesn't necessarily include the

48:58plans for 5 years. So, you know, I think

49:00that becomes part of this process, too,

49:04is

49:05you know, as I It's not just

49:08coordinating departments, it's also how

49:09are we going to communicate with

49:10residents? How are we going to engage

49:11with them? How are we going to have a

49:12multi-year plan and communicate that to

49:14them? Um it's not just how do we resolve

49:17the conflict between a tree and a

49:19sidewalk? You know, the task that we

49:21have ahead of us is broader than that,

49:23and it includes how do we create a

49:25multi-year plan that we can share with

49:26folks.

49:30>> Commissioner Bird, do you have any

49:31Anything you want to add, or you good?

49:33>> I'm good. [laughter]

49:34>> You good?

49:35So,

49:36>> [snorts]

49:36>> Thank you, everyone, for being very

49:37patient. Um Caleb here, stand up, Caleb,

49:40please,

49:41is our timekeeper, and he's just going

49:44to give you a little wave like

49:47this, uh when we are getting to time. Um

49:50please introduce yourself. Um if you'd

49:53like to give an address, that would be

49:54fantastic. And come and speak directly

49:56into the mic. Um, we welcome your

49:58comments at this time.

50:02And thank you for your patience for

50:03letting us get our questions all out

50:04there.

50:05Don't all rush at once, but I know

50:07there's several people who want to talk,

50:08so.

50:09>> Yeah, just make a line.

50:10>> And you can make a queue behind the uh

50:12>> Make a line be Peter will start us off.

50:16>> Hi. Uh, Peter McCarthy. I live on the

50:18east side. A lot of things I could say,

50:21but I'll say one. Big picture.

50:24Over the next 10 years, 20 years, 50

50:27years, the city is going to be

50:29drastically affected by climate change.

50:32That's science fact, despite what the

50:34federal government believes at this

50:36point. They're dismantling programs and

50:38regulations. It's up to state and local

50:41governments to deal with that. We're

50:43going to be disastrously affected if we

50:45don't.

50:46It is possible

50:49that planting a lot of trees is the most

50:53effective single thing we can do to deal

50:56with that, to affect climate change

50:58within the city.

51:01Cities in Europe right now are being

51:03drastically affected by climate change,

51:06and they're north of where we are.

51:08We're on the latitude of northern Italy.

51:11The entire land of Europe is being Their

51:15Their tourist season this year was

51:17basically wiped out because it was too

51:19hot. They had to start putting air

51:21conditioning places where they didn't

51:23until now.

51:25We're going to be facing that. And I

51:27think this is probably the best thing we

51:29can do. And I think we should be

51:30thinking about things in a bigger frame.

51:33I asked Steve Harris several years ago,

51:36"Why do we let landlords cut down trees

51:40without any

51:41process for approval?" There are places

51:44where if you're a property owner, you

51:46got to get a permit to cut down a tree.

51:48He said, "There's no way I've got the

51:49staff to deal with that." I believe him.

51:52I'm sure that's true.

51:54But, maybe we should be looking at a

51:56whole list of things. I I know he's got

51:59a big plan for more more forest

52:01development in the city, and I think

52:03there are many many things we could do

52:05better at. And I'm asking our

52:06representatives to really push that

52:08agenda. Thank you.

52:12>> Thank you, Peter.

52:13>> Hello. I'm Nerissa Abbott 240 Hood Ave.

52:17So, I bought my house like 13 years ago.

52:19I've been complaining about Pond Street

52:21for 13 years. I do want to say, after 13

52:24years, it finally got done. But, I have

52:27been that person that is like, "This

52:30street is

52:31crazy." And the it's like a a whole

52:33entire bumpy, but it was 13 years of me

52:36going to neighborhood watch meetings,

52:38asking like, "When is When is this

52:40street going to be done?" We have a

52:42major bus that runs up and down that. We

52:44got kids that are on that street, and

52:46it's like

52:4713 years later, thank you for finally

52:50getting it done. But, then I look at the

52:53corner of Court Street and Hood, where

52:56like someone was mentioning, that corner

52:58was fine, but we tore it up, redid it

53:01again. But, the lady that lives across

53:03the street from me, her sidewalk is

53:05crumbling.

53:07Crumbling. And I'm like looking like we

53:09just messed up that corner to to redo

53:12that corner, but I'm looking at her

53:14sidewalk, and then all of a sudden the

53:15next door neighbor's sidewalk is

53:17beautiful. But, then like three houses

53:19down, that sidewalk is all messed up. I

53:22ain't going to tell you how mine has a

53:23hole in it from when they dug it up in

53:25the front

53:26before I bought the house, where the

53:29asphalt was, where they never even

53:30replaced it. But, I I just kind of let

53:32this that just sit and be, cuz I'm not

53:34fixing that. I don't have any money for

53:36that.

53:37But, I I do want to reiterate the fact

53:39that one of you guys did say, we took up

53:42places that really didn't need it. And

53:45instead of looking literally a block up,

53:48could have probably did that one

53:49instead.

53:50But it's just so that you know, that's

53:53what we're looking at, you know.

53:55Not to say that it probably didn't need

53:57to be done or maybe there's a little

53:58reason why it wasn't done, but when we

54:00look at it, we see something that's

54:02perfectly fine, but see like five

54:04different things within a block radius

54:06that probably needs to be fixed.

54:09Oh, I do have a request. Yeah.

54:13Parkview and Onondaga, that tree is like

54:17hovering over that stop sign. I almost

54:20missed it.

54:21Tree needs trimming at Parkview and

54:23Onondaga. All right, got it.

54:25>> How's the time, Caleb? Because I feel

54:27like you favored Peter and Mary.

54:33>> [laughter]

54:34>> Hello, I'm Daniel Deshawn. I live on 447

54:37Westcott Street and I just want to

54:40council to know that there is a program

54:42in Seattle, Washington and it's called

54:44tree amnesty. And I know the some of the

54:48political people that started it there

54:50and I I know it's a possibility, just

54:53like Peter was saying earlier,

54:55to have a program that you have to have

54:57a permit for anyone to cut down a tree.

55:00And there's doesn't seem like it's that

55:01big of a deal. They really enjoy it out

55:03there. They got a lot of community

55:05participation.

55:07And I think it's something that the

55:09council ought to look into, at least,

55:10cuz they'll respond to you a lot more

55:13than they'll respond to a resident that

55:15wants it. If you're If I'm sure they

55:17would be glad to have you talk about it.

55:20And as far as the ombudsman, maybe

55:22that's what we need is an ombudsman that

55:24would

55:25help with coordinating communication. If

55:28you have one person that takes does this

55:31and goes to the parks and goes to

55:33you know, DPW, that's a good idea.

55:36Let's, you know, move forward with it.

55:38And as far as the curbs and the trees

55:40and the sidewalks,

55:42the curbing it seems to me you pull the

55:43curb up

55:45on the other side of it it's perfectly

55:46good. Why can't you flip it and use it?

55:48You pull them.

55:49And I'd like to know what happens to

55:50those curbs. What happens to that

55:51granite? That's an expensive thing. And

55:54I understand that you need it for the

55:56plows

55:57and it makes sense, but

56:00it just seems like there you could use

56:01the other side of it.

56:03Pull it up, put it down. Opposite side.

56:05Why not?

56:07And

56:09we have 3,600 trees that

56:11have Where are they? Why not a map and

56:13show me on a map?

56:15This is where they are. This is where

56:16they're going.

56:17As far as older trees, how about older

56:19trees? Yeah, they cost a little bit of

56:21money, but in the communities it's 50

56:23years after a tree's down before there's

56:24a canopy. In the south side,

56:27they need a lot more trees.

56:29It's just like I know it's a citywide

56:31program and it ought to be a citywide

56:33program, but I think everybody ought to

56:35pay a little more attention to it and

56:36have the trees have a voice. Thank you.

56:39>> Thank you.

56:40>> Thank you.

56:42>> Caleb, maybe you could sit up here where

56:44people could see you.

56:46>> I don't know, he's pretty animated.

56:48He could sit here.

56:49>> Uh

56:51Make sure he's ready with the button.

56:53Don't want to go over. Uh good

56:54afternoon. My name's Chris Goon and I

56:56live at 2402 Euclid Ave. Tree enthusiast

56:59and natural resource manager. Um I do

57:02want to speak briefly on

57:04something that

57:06it was mentioned quickly,

57:07education and communication, especially

57:10for uh

57:11a team the size of Steve's. I mean, when

57:13I moved into the city, it was just Steve

57:15and I was a happy little stumpy running

57:17around campus.

57:18Uh but understanding that he has to wear

57:21the hats of a civil engineer, a

57:23dendrologist,

57:25and all of these other things,

57:29and also answering to not just one

57:31landowner that hires him, but the entire

57:33city is uh

57:34important for you guys to communicate

57:37out to everybody.

57:38Uh understanding that all the though

57:40there might not be bad trees, there are

57:42bad street trees, why those trees are

57:44bad trees, why the list of trees that we

57:46can get are good tree species

57:49from the city. Uh why Norway maples are

57:51terrible.

57:53Um

57:55but just understanding that

57:56communication uh cuz a lot of those

57:59questions would be answered. It's not

58:01economic or really feasible for a tree

58:03to be planted as mature tree. So,

58:05acquiring more mature trees, you're

58:07going to have a

58:08greater loss rate if you do mature trees

58:12than young trees. So, just having that

58:14communication out I think would be huge.

58:18>> I think what you just said is important

58:19for us. We probably missed something

58:21that we should have said right out of

58:22the gate. Um I before I was ever in

58:24office, I've been working with Steve

58:25Harris for 15 years. I think he loves

58:27trees more than he loves people.

58:30>> So, that is that is correct.

58:31>> The the idea that he is not he does a

58:34great job. That man does a great job for

58:37the city. So, I want to make sure that

58:38we are thanking him for everything that

58:39he does, period.

58:43>> [applause]

58:46>> Jimmy took away what I was going to say.

58:47We have a We have a larger five-person

58:50forestry team now because of Steve. His

58:53grant writing skills

58:55he just showed me three. We have just I

58:57can name them all.

58:59>> [laughter]

58:59>> And in taking in taking interns and um

59:03from ESF as well teaching as he goes

59:06along. It's hard enough to do the job

59:09and then to take on interns to teach

59:12them so that they one day become a

59:14Steve. So, thank you, Steve.

59:18>> Uh and anybody who can take his urban

59:21forestry class, it's really great. Um

59:23but it having that understanding of I

59:26run down Meadowbrook, I understand that

59:28I'm running in the bike lane instead of

59:29the sidewalk.

59:31And I I love having those sidewalks. And

59:35I have the understanding of I understand

59:36that that was a Norway maple, that was a

59:38willow. I I know why those came down. If

59:40you guys were able to communicate that

59:41effectively, I think there would be a

59:43lot fewer people here.

59:45>> Giant post-it notes.

59:47Giant post-it notes on the trees.

59:48>> I like it.

59:48>> Although I will say also, I think we

59:50should investigate burying some of our

59:52utility lines as part of our hardscape

59:55infrastructure, so that again, the some

59:57of the trees, as somebody told me

59:59earlier, some of the trees were there

1:00:00before the utility lines were there.

1:00:03But thank you very much. Sorry, I didn't

1:00:04mean to jump in.

1:00:04>> And I have to make a correction. We have

1:00:06six staff in office under forestry, but

1:00:09Steve also oversees our tree crew. So,

1:00:12the Bob sees to it and his crew, so.

1:00:15>> Also, the tree order form is live for

1:00:17anybody that doesn't know. So, you can

1:00:18order your trees.

1:00:19>> form is live in case you can hear that.

1:00:21Thank you.

1:00:23>> Hello, Ms. Burke. Bridget Burke.

1:00:25>> Uh I live on Miles.

1:00:27My curbs are currently getting done.

1:00:31Um

1:00:32and

1:00:34I had a what I think is probably about a

1:00:3770-year-old maple in front of my house.

1:00:41And I I I

1:00:43currently unemployed, so I was home the

1:00:45day that they cut down my tree, and I

1:00:47went out and I talked to the crew leader

1:00:49for a while, cuz that's what I do.

1:00:52And um

1:00:55I have an environmental science

1:00:56background. I understand that there are

1:00:59competing concerns

1:01:02having to do with the trees and the

1:01:05lines under the streets and the streets

1:01:08themselves.

1:01:09It's Yeah, I understand that it's

1:01:11complicated.

1:01:13It has not been communicated

1:01:16to to the public, and I you know, I

1:01:18don't want to restate the same thing,

1:01:20but I completely agree with what he said

1:01:22from

1:01:23an environmental [clears throat] science

1:01:25standpoint.

1:01:27Your average homeowner knows

1:01:30squat about why these decisions are

1:01:33being made. You know, I understand my

1:01:36maple tree is not a good tree to have in

1:01:39that small of a space. And even though

1:01:42it wasn't messing up the sidewalk in

1:01:44front of my house, they they do

1:01:46frequently.

1:01:47And then I talked to this crew leader

1:01:49and he was explaining, well, if you make

1:01:51the sidewalk go around the tree, now the

1:01:53tree comes down, you have a funky

1:01:55sidewalk. Do we really want all our

1:01:57sidewalks to look like that?

1:01:59>> I'm okay with that. Are you okay with

1:02:01that?

1:02:01>> It's just a quick straw poll.

1:02:04>> straw poll. Do you need straight

1:02:05sidewalks or are you okay with funky

1:02:07sidewalks? Funky sidewalks?

1:02:10Funky sidewalks. Is anyone really a fan

1:02:12of straight sidewalks?

1:02:15So again, thank you, but I just wanted

1:02:16for a straw poll. Just to check that.

1:02:20>> Um

1:02:21So I I just I'm I'm jumping on board the

1:02:25you could have sent out

1:02:27one of those doorknob

1:02:30printed flyers with more information

1:02:32than most people have about why these

1:02:35decisions get made and who makes them.

1:02:38And you would have had a lot less really

1:02:40angry people.

1:02:42Um I would like to just really quick

1:02:44also put in a concern of my mom's, which

1:02:47is that when you put in the granite

1:02:49curbs, they are exceptionally

1:02:53sharp and dangerous. And so they're

1:02:56re-curbing all the areas around all the

1:02:58schools, but we're not warning anybody,

1:03:01you know, guess what? If your kid falls

1:03:03on this, they're going to slice their

1:03:05freaking arm open.

1:03:07My mom drove over the curb, sliced her

1:03:09tire open. So, you know, just

1:03:13she wanted to know why you couldn't make

1:03:15the curb rounded on one end. I don't

1:03:18know why you can't do that.

1:03:21Maybe it's you know five times more

1:03:23expensive.

1:03:26Thank you very much.

1:03:32>> I'm Tim. I live at the corner of Teal

1:03:34Ave and Boyden Street.

1:03:41I'm Tim. I live at the corner of Teal

1:03:42Ave and Boyden Street. That was very

1:03:44good uh point about the sharp curbs. Um

1:03:48I would say maybe 10 15 years ago I was

1:03:50talking with people about that. So I was

1:03:52kind of I'm kind of surprised they're

1:03:53still 90°.

1:03:55The 45° is possible that'd be cool. Um

1:03:58but anyway so

1:03:59uh

1:04:01Most of my concerns were addressed in

1:04:03the presentation like most of it is

1:04:05communication.

1:04:06Um

1:04:07so [clears throat] I rent I don't even

1:04:08own it but I've been there 6 years and

1:04:12like we have our own trees on the

1:04:13property but there is one city

1:04:15right-of-way tree on uh the Boyden side.

1:04:19And then across from that is another

1:04:20city right-of-way tree and then

1:04:23for a while the rest of the block

1:04:24doesn't have any trees and there's like

1:04:26one in the middle and then again there's

1:04:27like no trees on the block. So

1:04:29um I'm on the 400 block of Boyden across

1:04:31from me the city did the 1 to 300

1:04:33blocks. So yeah it wasn't my house but

1:04:36they were trees that I looked at off of

1:04:37my porch every day and then like I came

1:04:39home from work the one day and like most

1:04:42of that block was being cut down

1:04:44and they saved two trees over there like

1:04:46thank goodness so it's still there's

1:04:48still like uh greenery over there.

1:04:50I was just very confused cuz they were

1:04:52all different sizes and I had just gone

1:04:55to um

1:04:56like that tree

1:04:58memorial that they had in Shotwell Park

1:05:00in April

1:05:01and so I was very confused at like why

1:05:03all the tree trunks that they cut down

1:05:04on the 1 to 300 blocks were all

1:05:05different sizes and then way down in

1:05:07Boyden at the very end there's a tree

1:05:10like this big that was kept.

1:05:13So it's like that was great, but like

1:05:14then why did like the skinny tree that

1:05:16was like this come down like by my

1:05:18house? So, it was very confusing. Um so,

1:05:20yeah, communication like data point

1:05:22driven uh communication especially I

1:05:25think is very uh important. Um but yeah,

1:05:28I don't want to waste too much time, but

1:05:29yeah, I just want to say I love my tree.

1:05:31Don't want it to go anywhere. Um

1:05:33and it just really defines the character

1:05:35of like that block because there are no

1:05:37other city right-of-way trees. Thank you

1:05:39so much.

1:05:40>> Thank [clears throat] you.

1:05:40>> You didn't waste anybody's time. Thank

1:05:42you very much for your input.

1:05:45>> Hello. How close to the to this be? Hi,

1:05:48Aiden Harrington. I live at 1100

1:05:50Westcott Street on the corner of

1:05:51Westcott and Kensington. Uh I live a

1:05:54life where I try not to assume anything

1:05:56and that includes uh the purposes behind

1:05:58tree removal as much as some may

1:06:00recognize my name from the complaint

1:06:02posts I made on the Westcott Facebook

1:06:03group about the trees coming down. Uh I

1:06:06still like to assume the best in the

1:06:08intent of the city because I do love

1:06:10this city. However, um the things I've

1:06:13observed are two primary things. One, it

1:06:16was mentioned that in these sideway

1:06:18sidewalk projects

1:06:20um there have been sidewalks added where

1:06:21there were previously none. And in my

1:06:23own neighborhood, one place where I've

1:06:25noticed that has not been done and where

1:06:27it seems optimization including um

1:06:30replacing the concrete curbs with

1:06:31granite instead of doing something like

1:06:33that is the way from

1:06:38like Westcott to Broad to Nottingham

1:06:40going towards the Tops. Like that is

1:06:43pretty much the only large-scale grocery

1:06:45store in the area unless you're going to

1:06:46cross Erie Boulevard, which is not easy

1:06:48if you do not have a car. And there is

1:06:50still for years there's been no sidewalk

1:06:53going to that Tops. And it confuses me

1:06:55why optimization of my street,

1:06:57Kensington, was chosen before doing

1:07:00something large-scale like that that

1:07:01would have a direct impact on the

1:07:04residents of that area who are just

1:07:06trying to go get groceries.

1:07:08On top of that, the second thing I've

1:07:09noticed is that on Westcott proper,

1:07:12there are areas of the sidewalk where it

1:07:15is just crazy.

1:07:17>> [laughter]

1:07:17>> Like it is raised up like like this.

1:07:19There's like a huge lip in these these

1:07:22concrete plates. Yeah, the concrete

1:07:24plates are like just coming up in all

1:07:25these crazy angles. And still, my

1:07:28street, which was a pretty pristine one

1:07:30on Kensington, has been, you know,

1:07:33uprooted five plus trees cut down in

1:07:35front of beautiful gardens and just had

1:07:37these branches dumped in people's yards

1:07:39blocking people's walkways.

1:07:42The shade is gone for these hot summers.

1:07:44And I I think that I would love to see

1:07:47more prioritization towards doing the

1:07:50most good with these sidewalk projects,

1:07:51which I know is the goal already, but

1:07:53more research is maybe maybe a good

1:07:56thing. Thank you very much.

1:07:57>> Thank you.

1:07:58>> Thank you.

1:08:01>> Hi, I'm Jane Push at 200 Harvard Place.

1:08:05And I have two points I'd like to raise.

1:08:09Tree replacement with property values.

1:08:12By removing these large trees in the

1:08:14canopy, it would it has impacted the

1:08:18curb appeal

1:08:20and the character of our streets.

1:08:24The tree taken down in front of

1:08:27someone's house devalues their property,

1:08:30and that's what you've done to many

1:08:32homeowners now.

1:08:34And

1:08:36that's unacceptable.

1:08:38We are trying to get owner occupants

1:08:41more in the neighborhood, and the curb

1:08:44appeal has been reduced.

1:08:47It's just not attractive as it used as

1:08:50attractive as it used to be. Also, the

1:08:52trees that are being replaced are being

1:08:54replaced not by kind for kind or like by

1:08:57like.

1:08:58I understand you need to put in a

1:09:00different kind of tree, and that's okay.

1:09:02However, large trees are being replaced

1:09:05by small ones. It looks like somebody

1:09:08paid 30 bucks for a tree from Home

1:09:11Depot, some skinny little saplings that

1:09:14standing there instead of what was once

1:09:16a beautiful tree. It is not

1:09:19and that is unacceptable.

1:09:22It needs to be a larger tree,

1:09:24fast growing,

1:09:26and it also needs to be um

1:09:30to provide a canopy as quickly as

1:09:32possible to get our canopy back and the

1:09:34look and feel of

1:09:36a pleasant place to live.

1:09:39So, that's one thing is the curb appeal

1:09:42and the negative impact. I know it's

1:09:44expensive to bring in mature trees,

1:09:47but

1:09:48the amount of money that people are

1:09:50losing for their property value

1:09:53uh needs to be offset somehow. So,

1:09:57you're going to have to invest in trees

1:10:00that are larger

1:10:02so that we can get back to where we were

1:10:04sooner because this was a mistake.

1:10:08My second

1:10:09point is the sidewalk construction needs

1:10:11to talk to the property owner. I'm so

1:10:13sorry to cut you off. What I would like

1:10:14to ask you to do is to wait until we've

1:10:17got everyone for the first round, and

1:10:19then if you want to come back and finish

1:10:20your point, we absolutely will keep that

1:10:21open. Thank you very much.

1:10:25Before Ms. Zimmer comes up, I just want

1:10:27to say that the very first call I

1:10:29received was not from the East Side, but

1:10:30it was from Shotwell Park.

1:10:32And it was about the fact that they had

1:10:35100-year-old curbs that were still

1:10:36serviceable, and a question about why I

1:10:39assume chips funding was used to replace

1:10:41those curbs en masse uh

1:10:44to the detriment in some cases of the

1:10:46look and feel of the community as well.

1:10:49And this person tried to get everybody's

1:10:51attention.

1:10:53We had sent calls to the mayor's office.

1:10:55We sent incredibly well-worded,

1:10:58well-developed critiques to DPW and to

1:11:02parks, and I don't believe that Shotwell

1:11:04Park really got the kind of engagement

1:11:07that they were looking for on this

1:11:08issue. So, I'm going to thank you for

1:11:10coming here tonight.

1:11:13>> So, I'm Julia Zimmer. I'm at 211

1:11:16Shotwell Park. I've been there for 15

1:11:18years.

1:11:19I'm a member of Eastwood Neighborhood

1:11:21Association Syracuse Urbanism

1:11:23Collective. I'm an

1:11:25with significant experience in design

1:11:27and construction project management.

1:11:30Um this April I organized a tree funeral

1:11:34for a 105-year-old

1:11:36red oak. In 2014, I sued the city when

1:11:40our streets were condemned to again like

1:11:43raise

1:11:44awareness of of these programs. Um

1:11:48I'm not doing any of this for my street,

1:11:51right? If it's happening to me, it's

1:11:52happening to other people. I want to use

1:11:54that experience to um

1:11:57improve the system. So, I learned a lot

1:12:00about

1:12:01street reconstruction this summer. The

1:12:04biggest thing is I noticed conflicts

1:12:06between our ordinances, our

1:12:08specifications, our details, and our

1:12:10implementation.

1:12:12Um

1:12:13I've also noticed differences in

1:12:17how DPW, National Grid, and private

1:12:20contractors um do those same things.

1:12:24And then just

1:12:26I will One example, we still in the

1:12:29street reconstruction project, our

1:12:31detail still shows a double pour, which

1:12:34was um eliminated, right? Like this is

1:12:37our the construction documents that the

1:12:39people are bidding on from

1:12:422008 revised 1422.

1:12:45We've also got other details dating back

1:12:48all the way to 2003.

1:12:51So, just

1:12:53we have said that we've changed things.

1:12:55The documents don't back that up.

1:12:59Um as evidenced by kind of what I've

1:13:01witnessed myself and also the research

1:13:04um that I've done. And I also really do

1:13:07want to thank

1:13:08Steve. We're very, very lucky that we do

1:13:10have the arborist. We do. And the urban

1:13:13forestry plan that was

1:13:16published in 2020 is great. Um

1:13:19it's a model even for New York City.

1:13:23Thank you guys.

1:13:23>> Thank you very much.

1:13:27>> Hi, my name is Mary Stevens. I live at

1:13:291022 Wadsworth Street, corner of Ardmore

1:13:32Place. I've been there since February of

1:13:352013. In May of 2019, I had a very live

1:13:39linden tree, city tree, fall on my house

1:13:42causing $26,000

1:13:44in moren damage. It took me from May

1:13:46until December to have um the damage to

1:13:50my house fixed. So, in that time, the

1:13:52sidewalk on Ardmore Place was not fixed.

1:13:55Due to it being an act of God, but cuz

1:13:58it was a city tree, the only thing that

1:14:00was paid for by the city was removal of

1:14:02the tree that

1:14:03evening.

1:14:05A few years later, um

1:14:07I lost my homeowner's insurance because

1:14:09my sidewalk had still not been repaired

1:14:12even after multiple calls to

1:14:15the city um

1:14:18park uh

1:14:19sidewalk department.

1:14:22But they did come and do an estimate in

1:14:24August of 2021. We can't get you on the

1:14:28schedule this year, but we can do an

1:14:30estimate, which they did for the whole

1:14:32corner, which was a little bit more than

1:14:34$16,000.

1:14:36In 20 but they could not get me on the

1:14:39schedule. They would do it the following

1:14:41year.

1:14:42Um mind you, COVID had happened the

1:14:44first year, so that put things behind.

1:14:45But now we're into August of 2021.

1:14:48Um and then the sidewalk municipal

1:14:50sidewalk replacement went in, but

1:14:53we're not taking care of the homeowners

1:14:54first, and you can't be grandfathered

1:14:57in.

1:14:59Um but I did sign the estimate and sent

1:15:02it back and

1:15:04mhm a few times since then I've been,

1:15:06you know,

1:15:07told by Chris at and Gerald and other

1:15:09people

1:15:10it's been sporadic communication because

1:15:12I'm frankly burnt out. It's been since

1:15:1420 19. I've had a signed estimate, and

1:15:18each year it's like, "Oh, we can't fit

1:15:20you on our thing." My sidewalks was

1:15:23replaced on Wadsworth in spring of 2023.

1:15:27Ardmore, [clears throat] where the tree

1:15:29fell down, had a major sinkhole that 3

1:15:31years later I had to beg them to come

1:15:34and finish grinding that up and fixing

1:15:36that up.

1:15:38I'm so sorry.

1:15:39>> But would you mind coming back around?

1:15:41Thank you.

1:15:49>> We need to Can we we can move the

1:15:50podium?

1:15:50>> Yeah, the podium just a little bit.

1:15:52>> Thank you.

1:15:56>> Good evening. My name's Julia

1:15:57Braunmueller, and I live on Houston Ave.

1:15:59Um

1:16:00I'll keep my points kind of short and

1:16:02sweet because most of you have received

1:16:04several emails, voicemails from me this

1:16:06summer. Thank you, Corey, for answering

1:16:08my phone calls.

1:16:09Um

1:16:11Corey, your first point you said the

1:16:12city uses data, and

1:16:15I still I'm going to kind of echo Corey

1:16:17on this one,

1:16:19express a lot of cynicism about that.

1:16:21Um

1:16:21I wrote many, many well-worded emails

1:16:24with specific requests for understanding

1:16:27the need for the new sidewalk on Houston

1:16:29Ave. I was told

1:16:32in very limited terms it was pedestrian

1:16:34need for a levy. Levy's been closed for

1:16:375 years, you know,

1:16:39it all of a sudden it became this urgent

1:16:40need.

1:16:42What really what bothers me the most was

1:16:45I found out on May 5th when the budget

1:16:48was passed emails, emails, emails. I've

1:16:51asked a lot of questions about the

1:16:53schedule, about the process, and no

1:16:56answers of any

1:16:58consequence. And literally came home,

1:17:01well, actually leaving for work one

1:17:02morning, our trees were being cut down,

1:17:04and Steve, thanks for showing up. Um, he

1:17:07got to deal with myself being a little

1:17:09irate. Uh,

1:17:10you know, there was no mailers, there

1:17:12was no communication, there was no

1:17:13answers. So,

1:17:15um,

1:17:16I appreciate you acknowledging that

1:17:17there's an improvement, and I really

1:17:19think, you know, even with this time

1:17:21frame of this year that May to July when

1:17:24the trees are actually cut, there was

1:17:25still plenty of time to say, "Did we

1:17:28make the right decisions?"

1:17:29And specifically on Houston, one of the

1:17:31points, um, the lighting, you know, the

1:17:34sidewalk was installed on the opposite

1:17:36side of the street, uh, the existing

1:17:38lighting, so now we have an unlit

1:17:40sidewalk that potentially poses a safety

1:17:43hazard for pedestrians, um,

1:17:46and, you know, there's really never been

1:17:48any true documentation explaining that

1:17:51it could have gone on the other side of

1:17:52the street. So,

1:17:53thank you.

1:17:55Thank you.

1:17:59>> Uh, Jane Push, 200 Harvard Place.

1:18:01Um,

1:18:02so, the second point is, uh, I

1:18:05understand the sidewalks do need to be a

1:18:07certain width according to ADA.

1:18:09Understanding that,

1:18:11just want to encourage it being narrower

1:18:13when it gets to the base of the tree and

1:18:14then returning to the 5-ft wide or

1:18:17however wide you want to have it, uh,

1:18:19for people passing.

1:18:20Um,

1:18:22I would like to encourage conversation

1:18:24between

1:18:25where a key tree is being cut down and

1:18:28the homeowner, whether it is a landlord

1:18:31or an owner occupant, uh, to try and get

1:18:35a voluntary easement. I know if the

1:18:37situation were happening to me, I would

1:18:39be happy to

1:18:41uh provide an easement if the city

1:18:43didn't already have the right to go

1:18:44across my property in order to save the

1:18:47tree because it will preserve the curb

1:18:50appeal of my place.

1:18:53Um

1:18:54so that is the only other point I wanted

1:18:57to make is to encourage that. And the

1:19:00arborist office is

1:19:02lovely to deal with. I did because I

1:19:05talked to them when they were on my

1:19:07properties painting a circle where they

1:19:09were going to put a tree, and I went out

1:19:11and talked to them.

1:19:13And uh

1:19:14we

1:19:16engaged in conversation then of what

1:19:17kind of tree I wanted to have.

1:19:19And they tried to accommodate that, and

1:19:21I really appreciated it, and I do have

1:19:23two

1:19:24small little things in front of my yard

1:19:25now, which I think have have helped uh

1:19:29place look better. So, I'd love to see

1:19:31more conversations like that if

1:19:32possible.

1:19:34>> Thank you.

1:19:34>> Thank you.

1:19:35>> Thank you for coming back around.

1:19:38>> Sorry, once again, Mary Stevens, 1022

1:19:40Wattsworth Street. So, I'm just

1:19:42concerned because I also have another

1:19:44tree at the other end of that same

1:19:46sidewalk on Ardmore Place

1:19:49severely heaving up that end of the

1:19:50sidewalk as my driveway is also heaving

1:19:53up. I have sewer lines underneath there.

1:19:57Um I have wedges in my driveway trying

1:19:59to get keep the snow removal going. I

1:20:02can't hire anybody, and I do my best

1:20:04keep my sidewalks clear, that corner.

1:20:07I'm even out plowing Ardmore Place from

1:20:10my driveway to the intersection. I have

1:20:12pictures because

1:20:14we're one of the last streets to be

1:20:16done. I So, I'm trying to be a good

1:20:17neighbor, trying not to sue the city,

1:20:19trying not to go to the news, but

1:20:23it's been 2021 that I signed an

1:20:27estimate, sent it back to the city

1:20:30to have my sidewalks done.

1:20:34So, I was willing to pay back then, but

1:20:35now that it is a municipal sidewalk

1:20:38replacement, I shouldn't have to pay a

1:20:40private contractor. Yet, at the same

1:20:42time, children I have pedestrians and

1:20:44every day I'm almost out there. Please

1:20:46don't fall on my sidewalk. Please don't

1:20:47fall on my sidewalk. Caleb was one of my

1:20:50neighbors a few years ago. He also tried

1:20:52to help me out.

1:20:53And

1:20:54you know,

1:20:56and I could also I'm I'm

1:20:59so thankful that Wadsworth Street was

1:21:01replaced.

1:21:03But, okay. So, now with the cost of

1:21:06everything, if I were to pay a private

1:21:07contractor to fix the rest of it and go

1:21:09across my driveway,

1:21:11that's easily another 10-15 grand, which

1:21:14can go into my 1940 house. I'm trying my

1:21:17best because I lost my homeowner's

1:21:20insurance. I had to shop around because

1:21:24for different reasons, like, why isn't

1:21:26your sidewalk replaced? Like, I'm trying

1:21:28to make the improvements, but it's only

1:21:30me. I'm on a fixed income now because

1:21:32COVID didn't beat in. I worked at COVID

1:21:34night shift at Upstate. I was a

1:21:37respiratory therapist. I worked my butt

1:21:39off.

1:21:41And here I am,

1:21:43you know, since May of 2019, okay, May

1:21:47to 2020, COVID comes in. I knew

1:21:50everything was behind. But again,

1:21:53I shouldn't have to keep waiting

1:21:58to have my sidewalk replaced

1:22:00when I had a signed con- estimate sent

1:22:04back. And I do have an email and I've

1:22:06called through the city line. It has

1:22:08been a while since I've talked to them.

1:22:10But, it's very sporadic when people get

1:22:13back in touch with me. And I would more

1:22:16than be happy to forward an email on to

1:22:18you cuz these pictures aren't the

1:22:19greatest, but it's very

1:22:22exhausted. I'm burnt out, depressed,

1:22:27and trying to figure out, okay, now I'm

1:22:29going to dip into

1:22:31more retirement to make other

1:22:33improvements to my house.

1:22:35>> I want to thank you very much for the

1:22:36work you did for our community during

1:22:38during the pandemic.

1:22:39>> you, and I'm always here for you to

1:22:40call.

1:22:40>> And I thank you, and I and I thank you,

1:22:42and I've tried

1:22:45to wait I've tried to slowly work up the

1:22:47chain of command,

1:22:48but [clears throat] you know, I also

1:22:50like to give people time to get back in

1:22:52touch with me, and then you're like, oh,

1:22:53okay, I got to call them again.

1:22:55>> matter

1:22:56or whatever.

1:22:57>> But it's also reflective of a number of

1:22:58other homeowners who even we had

1:23:01somebody who contacted me in Sedgwick.

1:23:03[clears throat]

1:23:04They had had a sewer

1:23:06issue. Some of the homes in Sedgwick can

1:23:08be tricky.

1:23:09>> Yeah.

1:23:10>> But the city came and replaced the

1:23:12sewer, but then a patch of sidewalk was

1:23:15left unfinished.

1:23:16>> Mhm.

1:23:16>> It's very difficult for a homeowner to

1:23:18get a contractor to come out for one

1:23:19patch of sidewalk.

1:23:20>> Right. Right.

1:23:21>> We have at various points in the history

1:23:23of

1:23:24brainstorming in Syracuse on the

1:23:26council, but other places talked about

1:23:28what other kinds of collective action we

1:23:30can do in terms of sidewalk clearing and

1:23:32snow removal, but maybe we should also

1:23:34think about small repairs concrete as an

1:23:37option for people [clears throat] to buy

1:23:38into.

1:23:39Thank you very much.

1:23:40>> Right. And it is hard because you're

1:23:41trying to figure out which steps to make

1:23:43your home your improvements. I'm sure I

1:23:45have a lead line. I'm sure I have this,

1:23:46and then you don't want to fix one thing

1:23:47only to have to have it dug up again.

1:23:49>> I understand.

1:23:50>> But it's hard. It's difficult, and thank

1:23:52you very much for everyone.

1:23:54>> Thank you.

1:23:55>> Thank you.

1:23:56>> Miranda.

1:23:59>> Hi, there. I'm Miranda Hein. I'm a owner

1:24:01occupant and a landlord, actually. I

1:24:04have lived over 40 years on Clarendon

1:24:05Street

1:24:07on the Brick Hill. And one of the

1:24:08reasons I'm here is to be preventative.

1:24:11Every time I hear a truck, I'm worried

1:24:13about the bricks on the hill.

1:24:15So, when you if if it's on the list to

1:24:17replace the not the I think the

1:24:20sidewalks well, the sidewalks aren't

1:24:21great, but the the curbs that the bricks

1:24:24are protected and not dumped like they

1:24:26have been at the Rose Garden.

1:24:29Um

1:24:30the property that I own on Fellows, the

1:24:33tree came down. I had no notification.

1:24:37And the last point I wanted to make was

1:24:39ironically about trees that are dead

1:24:41that haven't been cut down.

1:24:43Um in the park in Thornton, there's

1:24:46about four or five trees that are dead

1:24:48and I've emailed

1:24:50um

1:24:50they're dead from age and they're dead

1:24:53from implanted wrong and they need to

1:24:55come down cuz they look awful. Thank

1:24:57you.

1:24:58Thank you very much.

1:25:02>> I'm uh Hi, Sam Gruber, 123 Clark Street.

1:25:05I wasn't going to speak, but a couple

1:25:06points that haven't been raised. Um

1:25:08thank you very much for the

1:25:10presentation. I think you've touched

1:25:11upon a lot of the

1:25:13uh issues.

1:25:15Um obviously

1:25:17uh how we go forward will, you know,

1:25:20let us know what works and what doesn't.

1:25:23Um I want to give a

1:25:25Oh, I do want to agree. Uh the spot

1:25:28repairs on sidewalks is something that

1:25:30many people expected when the sidewalk

1:25:32program went through and were not

1:25:34carried out. Instead, we saw ripping out

1:25:37of perfectly good sidewalks. You've

1:25:38heard this before, Corey.

1:25:40Uh and broken. We thought sometimes just

1:25:42four or five or six

1:25:45uh 5x5 squares in a whole block needed

1:25:47to be replaced and that would be

1:25:49relatively easy and quick thing and yet

1:25:51several years in, we see these are still

1:25:53not done, but we're seeing full

1:25:55I also I also agree that the city has

1:25:58been overzealous in its curb uh program.

1:26:02Uh I've been photographing a lot of

1:26:03these streets. Sometimes the curbs are

1:26:05perfectly fine and they're being ripped

1:26:07out entirely at the cost of hundreds of

1:26:09thousands of dollars. Um so, this is the

1:26:11priorities have to be straightened. But,

1:26:14I want to get go back just give them uh

1:26:16uh

1:26:17uh two points about uh sidewalks and

1:26:19trees.

1:26:20For trees obviously I think we all agree

1:26:23are

1:26:24uh

1:26:25uh not luxuries, they're essentials. In

1:26:27addition to the canopy which we've

1:26:29talked about, they traditionally have

1:26:31also screened

1:26:33air pollutants from streets into yards.

1:26:36And back when we had lead gasoline that

1:26:38was very important because the lead was

1:26:40in the air, the trees would act as a

1:26:42screen. We've lost a lot of those

1:26:44screens. My own street, when I moved in,

1:26:47had 12 huge

1:26:49maples which created a cathedral-like

1:26:51canopy. Of those 12 I think five are

1:26:53left. Um other streets have been denuded

1:26:56entirely

1:26:58and and it will take more than one

1:27:00generation to replace that if it is

1:27:02replaced at all.

1:27:04Uh historically Syracuse had an old core

1:27:07of the city which never had many trees

1:27:09and a later core that was designed to

1:27:12have trees. They were inherently meant

1:27:14to be part of the city design and they

1:27:18still have to be considered in that way.

1:27:20>> Sam, let me cut you off. Carolyn's next

1:27:22to you and then you can come back

1:27:23around.

1:27:26So yes. We are ending at 7:00 unless

1:27:29everybody gives me the okay to continue,

1:27:32but I think people would like to go home

1:27:34at some point. All right. Carolyn, can

1:27:36you reach

1:27:36>> Hi. Uh yeah. I'm Carolyn Massina Yazzi.

1:27:40Can you hear me through the mask?

1:27:41>> Yep.

1:27:42>> Good cuz I'm not taking it out.

1:27:44I I need to keep living and I'm with you

1:27:47about COVID.

1:27:51I was shocked to read many comments on

1:27:54that

1:27:55wonderful source of news, Neighbors.

1:27:59Uh

1:28:02how many people were resentful of trees

1:28:05getting planted in their yard. How dare

1:28:09the city do this?

1:28:11And so as a retired educator, 26 years,

1:28:1519 of them in this city,

1:28:18I want to talk about the importance of

1:28:19education.

1:28:21And

1:28:23we're kind of preaching to the choir

1:28:25here.

1:28:26There are people out there who and I

1:28:28don't know what it's like to have

1:28:30serious pollen allergies. I realize that

1:28:33is something people need to be

1:28:34considered, but people need to

1:28:36understand

1:28:37Look, we don't have curbs on my street.

1:28:41We have

1:28:42out of maybe 12 houses, two have

1:28:44sidewalks.

1:28:46But we do have trees.

1:28:49And

1:28:50I am here

1:28:52as I used to read to my students in the

1:28:54kindergarten and first and second

1:28:56grades,

1:28:59Dr. Seuss talked about the Lorax, and

1:29:01the Lorax speaks for the trees.

1:29:04I am not here just to speak for the

1:29:07trees,

1:29:08but to talk about that New York City has

1:29:11planted now the scale is a little bit

1:29:13off.

1:29:14They have planted more trees this year

1:29:16than they have in the last 10 years.

1:29:20Most of the trees were planted in

1:29:22neighborhoods vulnerable to extreme heat

1:29:25as the city worked towards a goal of

1:29:27reaching 30% tree canopy.

1:29:31To quote Mamdani,

1:29:33"Our administration is building a city

1:29:35where every neighborhood can find cool

1:29:37shade on a hot day,

1:29:39breathe clean air, and enjoy the beauty

1:29:41of a healthy tree canopy."

1:29:43Mamdani said.

1:29:45>> I'm going to let Carolyn finish this.

1:29:47>> Access to green space and relief from

1:29:50extreme heat

1:29:52should not depend on your zip code.

1:29:57Planting more trees, especially in the

1:29:59neighborhoods that need them most, will

1:30:01make our city, our state, our country

1:30:06cooler, healthier, and more beautiful

1:30:08for all. We can't just think of our

1:30:10front yard and our trees.

1:30:13We have to be more interdependent than

1:30:15that.

1:30:16Thank you.

1:30:18>> Thank you very much.

1:30:23>> All right.

1:30:24>> Uh Sam from Sam had uh Sam from

1:30:27Grossnickle.

1:30:56>> Thank you.

1:30:57>> I'm happy to ask a question on the side

1:30:59if I need to. Um but I when they took

1:31:03down my 70-year-old maple tree, they

1:31:05came, they did the stuff the curbs

1:31:08today,

1:31:09and I still have a giant stump.

1:31:13>> Yeah, we can we can talk about

1:31:15>> Yeah.

1:31:15>> I'll I'll come and talk to you.

1:31:18Thanks.

1:31:18>> Thank you.

1:31:19>> And and anybody else?

1:31:22All right. Uh counselors, any final

1:31:25comments? Commissioners, you good?

1:31:28>> Good.

1:31:28>> Okay. Deputy Mayor, thank you. Thank

1:31:30you, everybody. That will

1:31:34So

1:31:35This will conclude our meeting. Thank

1:31:37you all.

1:31:37>> Thank you all for coming, and thank you.

1:31:39>> Thank you.

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