The saplings that run alongside Shelter Rock Road and Searingtown Road, planted in 2012 after their predecessors were damaged by Hurricane Sandy, could have become a symbol of community regeneration.
Instead, they have fallen into a state of neglect and set off a dispute between the Village of North Hills and Nassau County over who is responsible for maintaining them.
“I am not assuming any responsibility to maintain trees that the county put in,” said Marvin Natiss, the mayor of North Hills. “If I have to fight with the county, I will.”
Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello, whose 9th District includes the Manhasset trees in question, does not dispute that the county planted the trees.
He said the County Department of Public Works informed him that it began maintenance on the Searingtown Road trees in early March and would continue until the trees on both roads had been pruned.
“From their perspective, that would be the county’s final involvement,” Nicolello added.
Work done on the trees in recent weeks includes trimming dead foliage, removing outdated stakes and installing stakes where necessary.
Nicolello said a state law passed several decades ago requires villages of a certain population to maintain trees on village land, even if the trees were planted by the county.
Natiss disputed that the law applies in this case.
“That state law says hedges and bushes,” Natiss said. “It doesn’t say trees.”
“I guess the county because it’s financially distressed thinks it can pass this off,” Natiss added. “It’s not going to happen with my village.”
Natiss said the county, in 2012, “took down a lot more than the damaged trees. It had a contract to knock down every single tree, which was wrong.”
Natiss said he and county officials did not discuss maintenance responsibilities when the trees were planted.
Renewed interest in the issue was initiated by Andrew Schwenk, the first vice president of the Council of Greater Manhasset Civic Associations, who sent Nicolello an email in February about the lack of tree maintenance.
“My concern is that it’s been four years since [Nassau County] planted these trees, and because I travel both roads multiple times a week, I’m highly confident in telling you that I don’t believe [Nassau County] has ever done any maintenance on the trees since their planting,” Schwenk said. “I respectfully ask that you either pass this note along to those individuals within [Nassau County] that would handle this responsibility or let me know who I should be reaching out to.”
Nicolello said he remembers admiring the trees from his car while driving to work as the assistant town attorney for the Town of North Hempstead, his first job after graduating from law school.
“In the spring there were incredible colors, pinks and whites,” he said. “To the extent we can get foliage, trees back to good health, I think it’s important. So parts of the public space can be made to look beautiful and have an effect on well-being.”
He was less certain about who would take part in the long-term restoration of the trees.
“Ultimately, somebody is going to have to do it,” he said.
Clarification: With regard to the tree maintenance, Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello has not adopted the position of the Nassau County Department of Public Works. “My position is that notwithstanding the dispute between the Nassau DPW and the mayor, I will stay involved to make sure that the trees get maintained,” he wrote in a follow-up email.
