East Hills Eco-Activist Returns to Mineola Village Board

East Hills eco-activist Richard Brummel returned to the Mineola Village Board last Wednesday night, this time bringing complaints about sycamore trees he says were unjustly cut down on Roslyn Road.

Brummel also brought a friend – the first time he had produced such a supporter at a village board meeting – in Raft Avenue resident Laura Reil, who said that she was “shocked and deeply saddened” at the loss of the sycamores which she called “special” and between 50 to 100 years old.

“The ones that came down were rotted on the interior of the tree so because they’re 50 years old doesn’t mean they’re not a hazard,” Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss said during the meeting held at the village hall.

The mayor added that the decision to remove the sycamore trees was based on “public safety” as “two trees came down during the storm back in August, it wasn’t even the superstorm, they came down in August, it caused certain residents in that area to be concerned about the trees, in fact one tree just narrowly missed a family that was going into the house.”

Strauss added that the trees were evaluated by the village as well as an arborist from LIPA in September/ October, who agreed that the trees were to be removed.

“From what I’m listening to, any large tree is just going to come down and when you replace them with little tiny, 10-ft. tall saplings it just changes the whole character,” said Richard Oberlander, an arborist produced by Brummel at the meeting.

“Wasn’t the trees that are coming down right now once 10-ft. saplings?” Strauss asked. “Didn’t they start off in their infancy? There comes a point where a tree needs to be adjusted, needs to be managed within the streets, the wires and the homes it’s different if it was in the forest. I can’t keep a tree up because we’re worried about the landscape and not worried about somebody’s life.”

Reil then questioned the mayor if a report from the village’s arborist was available, to which he replied that he did not.

“Having an arborist give you a report, it’s not going to stop the trees from coming down,” Strauss said, adding that it was a “verbal agreement with the DPW staff and the LIPA arborist and that’s where it’s going to stand.”

Reil also asked about how the decision was made and calling for community hearings for tree removals or if residents were allowed to “prune a street tree any way they choose,” pointing to a tree on her own block.

The village has issued summonses for persons or residents who have decimated according to village attorney John Spellman.

“As far as input from the residents and the neighbors, did you ask anybody that has those trees in front of them? Did you ask the residents whose tree came down on the house?” Strauss said.

Reil then stated that there was a lack of communication between the village and the residents about it taking trees down.

“There’s plenty of communication going on with the people that are affected by those trees in front of their homes because those are the ones complaining to us and asking us to help them,” Strauss said. “I don’t see the benefit in asking somebody that lives a block, two blocks or three blocks away to weigh in on the decision that affects the personal safety of someone that it doesn’t affect them. We do things kind of slow as it is and to have hearings on every tree we take down wouldn’t work.”

The village has a tree evaluation crew through the department of public works which is headed by superintendent of public works Tom Rini.

“Part of that decision-making team is myself,” Strauss said. “I’m a member of the community, Mr. Rini’s worked here for many, many years, many of his employees work here in the village that are part of this decision; I think it’s covered.”

Throughout the evening Brummel did not hide his disdain and disrespect for the board, audibly scoffing several times during the hearing and interrupting the work session held earlier before the public meeting. At the meeting Brummel characterized himself as “more of a citizen” of the village as he had been working at a local business for the past two months, though could not produce the name of an establishment at which he was employed.

Brummel first appeared before the village board on January 16 concerning a red oak tree in the rear yard of a foreclosed property at 208 Roslyn Road that he believed was about 125 years old and had the potential to be destroyed if the property were sold to development.

He was since proven wrong on the tree’s age by deputy mayor Paul Pereira, who said that the tree does not exist on historical aerial photographs.

According to reports, Brummel confronted Rini at the scene of the sycamore trees being taken down and chased off LIPA crews with it being necessary to call the police to the scene to bar Brummel from the area so that crews could complete the work.

During the meeting Brummel also admitted that several of the sycamore trees in question showed evidence of decay. Hecould also be seen handing Reil a sheet of paper with notes, which she read off of in a prompting fashion during her q

“We do have a plan in place, a tree-pruning program, a re-planting program,” deputy mayor Paul Pereira said. “We have a program where people ask for their tree to be removed, many time, to their dismay, we do not remove it because it’s healthy, it’s not in the wires, it’s not presenting any danger and our evaluation determines that the tree should stay. Unfortunately people only see the trees that are cut down, they don’t see the hundreds of trees that we don’t cut down every year that people ask us to cut down for whatever reason they wish.”

Mineola has received “Tree City USA” recognition by the National Arbor Day Foundation for the past 28 consecutive years for its continuing efforts at planting trees. The village will also be replacing approximately 450 trees that were damaged, destroyed or uprooted after Hurricane Sandy and increased its tree replanting line by $50,000.

Brummel called the cutting of the trees a “sneak attack” and vowed to issue FOIL requests.

“You obviously have a tree removal program that is extremely disruptive,” he said to the board. “I would like to see any kind of evidence that you have that residents wanted these trees taken down. I sort of doubt some of the things that I’m hearing from this board.”

He submitted a 38-signature petition to the board which he said was from residents wishing to keep the trees.

“Mr. Brummel, please do not stand there and come from East Hills and tell me that I’m not serving my residents properly,” Strauss said. “If a resident wishes to sue us over tree removals, we will vigorously defend that lawsuit with our funds.”

According to a release, Brummel is also suing his own home community of East Hills over environmental practices.

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