Warden to decide tree’s fate
Greenwich Avenue improvement project prompts its removal
GREENWICH — Advocates are trying to save a downtown tree that is slated to come down as part of a project to improve the intersection of Greenwich Avenue and Elm Street.
Jo Ann Messina, executive director of the Greenwich Tree Conservancy, on Monday asked why the Department of Public Works could not design a plan for the intersection that would not require taking “one of the last few good trees on the Avenue.”
The DPW project, planned for both aesthetic and safety reasons, will include “bump outs” from the existing curbs in the intersection. They would decrease the streetcrossing distance for pedestrians and raise the intersection and crosswalks.
The project will remove four parking spaces and relocate handicap accessible parking spots so the town can increase the green space there, too. The four spots slated for removal require a driver to back up into the crosswalk when exiting them.
But Messina’s group objects to the removal of the tree at 235 Greenwich Ave., directly in front of the TD Bank. A sign is posted on the tree, advising of its removal and the hearing on its future.
The town’s tree warden will hold a hearing on its future at noon Thursday. The public can listen in and express views
“There are many places on Greenwich Avenue where we have lost trees, and we have been trying over the last several months to get them replanted, to get some stumps removed and to get the Avenue looking as it should.” Jo Ann Messina, Greenwich Tree Conservancy executive director
during the virtual hearing, which can be found by visiting https://bit.ly/3pL2TEN.
Messina said the Greenwich Tree Conservancy will voice its objection at the hearing.
“There are many places on Greenwich Avenue where we have lost trees, and we have been trying over the last several months to get them replanted, to get some stumps removed and to get the Avenue looking as it should,” said Messina. “We feel that there are places that should have been replanted and have not been.”
She said the tree appears to be healthy, tying this hearing to the conservancy’s overall mission to protect healthy trees in town.
“We’ve only been told that this is needed for the ‘bump out’ project,” Messina said. “There is another gorgeous tree across the street (in front of the Anne Fontaine store) that is at a similar place. Fortunately, that tree has not been posted to be removed. But it does lead to the question about why this tree has to be removed.”
A handicap accessible parking spot is planned for the tree’s location, Deputy Commissioner of Public Works James Michel said.
“In order to provide a proper and code compliant handicap accessible parking stall, the tree in question falls in the location where a proposed ramp is required,” Michel said. “In addition, it is our understanding that the tree is approaching the end of its life per prior meetings with the town Tree Department.”
Michel said the town plans to determine an “acceptable location” to plant a new tree in the area.
The intersection improvement project, which is budgeted at $200,000, was approved for the current fiscal year’s municipal budget. The project received municipal improvement status from the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission last November.
In addition to the bump outs, the project also calls for adding decorative crosswalks, planting new plant beds, relocating street lights and drains, moving the trash receptacles and newspaper stands, replacing the sidewalks and adding bike racks and benches.
DPW hopes to begin construction, which is slated to take eight to 12 weeks, in mid-March, depending on the weather, Michel said.
“The overall project is a significant safety improvement to this intersection at Elm Street and Greenwich Avenue,” he said. “The project makes significant handicap accessibility improvements to the area and improves the greenspace at this area.”
First Selectman Fred Camillo, a strong proponent of the project, put it in his budget as part of his plans to revitalize Greenwich’s downtown.
“First and foremost, this is a public safety enhancement,” Camillo said Monday. “But this is also going to really beautify the Avenue and take it to another level. It’s going to be something that people will love for many, many years to come.”
The Tree Department has reported that the tree is “at the end of its life,” Camillo said. It is also growing into the building and doesn’t fit that spot at the Avenue, he said.
“I’m a tree guy,” said Camillo, a former chair of the town’s Board of Parks and Recreation. “The bump out is going to bring a lot more greenery . ... We’re very good in town at replacing trees when they’re taken down. The Tree Conservancy has been a really good partner with us on that.”
The Thursday hearing will be held before town Superintendent of Parks and Trees Gregory Kramer, who also serves as the town’s tree warden. Afterward, Kramer will issue a decision within three business days.
Whatever Kramer decides, there is a 10-day window for anyone to file an appeal with state Superior Court in Stamford.