Residents Respond to East Hills Environmentalists Assertions

In response to East Hills eco-activist Richard Brummel leading a one-man crusade against the Mineola Village Board, several village residents responded during the May 1 meeting at the village hall in support of the current tree policy already in place in the village.

Peter Samuel of Roslyn Road said he has “two older trees” in front of his house that have “big holes in the middle of the trees” and wishes them removed for safety reasons. He also asked for new trees to be replanted.

“We are not against the trees, but if it falls onto my house, who is going to pay the damage?” he asked, noting that he had written numerous letters to both the village and to New York Sen. Jack Martins. “We feel it is very dangerous for us to live in that house during even a small storm.”

Arbin Jindoria stated that she has a tree in front of her house “which is completely dead,” noting that her sister also sent a letter to the village asking for it to be taken down

“I just want a new tree there, that’s really it,” she said.

Joseph Grillo of Wellington Road believed the tree policy in Mineola “should remain the way it is” and thanked the board for the policy.

Brummel, an East Hills resident, is protesting the cutting down of several sycamore trees on Roslyn Road after evaluations by the village reportedly found them to be in a state of decay.

Emory Road resident Bill Urianek garnered some applause after he related a story of a tall maple tree in front of his home and the village would not remove the tree at his request, only to have it removed 4-5 years later after he noticed “bleeding” and rot.

“But there was also one replaced about six or seven months later; replaced the tree they took down,” Urianek said. “People come to our village and tell us what to do, this person should take a ride down Shelter Rock Road and Searingtown Road and see about the perfect trees that were taken down there. They just came and took the trees down and somebody comes to our village to tell us what to do? They should take a ride down there and tell those people what to do.”

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