Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Ben Westcott, Chronicle Staff Writer
Glens Falls is removing 38 trees on Webster Avenue to make way for a major pavement and infrastructure project.
City Superintendent of Public Works Tom Girard said the city has been looking into the Webster Avenue Pavement Preservation Project for four years.
Mayor Bill Collins calls it a “complete streets” project.
“In addition to street resurfacing and new pavement markings, this project includes improvements to the vehicle and pedestrian signals, repairs to the sanitary sewers, replacement of water main valves, improvements to drainage, areas of new curb, sidewalks, driveway aprons and curb ramps, and new street trees,” Mayor Collins said in a city press release.
“All of the sidewalk and related work will be done in accordance with the Public Right-of-Way Access Guidelines generated under the Americans with Disabilities Act. These will be significant and long-lasting improvements to the Webster Avenue neighborhood and very positive for the city as a whole.”
The Common Council voted 4-2 on Oct. 24 to approve the project, which provides for shared bike and car lanes, with markings indicating it is also a bicycle corridor.
Ward Four Councilman Ben Lapham and Ward Five’s Mary Gooden cast the no votes. They sought dedicated bike lanes, an idea that lost out by a 2-4 vote.
Mr. Girard said existing trees are being removed “to make sure that we can do the whole project correctly. There are trees that are lifting up the sidewalks right now. There’d be no sense in putting new sidewalks down if we’re going to have the existing trees there whose roots are uplifting those sidewalks right now. That would be kind of crazy to do that and then have to come back next year and put new sidewalks in again.”
He said most of the trees being removed are lindens, which he says aren’t recommended for city planning. There are some ash and oak as well.
“We’re probably going to plant as many as we take out, unless somebody doesn’t want one in front of their house, which a lot of people have expressed they don’t.”
He said the new trees will be 16 to 20 feet tall, shorter than the current trees, which are in the 20s and 30s in feet. He said the exact types of trees that will be planted hasn’t been determined yet.
Mr. Girard said, “We’ve had more people thank us to get rid of these ugly trees…We’ve had one complaint and probably four thank yous.”
A different view is expressed by Keith Davidson, who reached out to The Chronicle. He said he has lived on Webster Avenue for 33 years.
About the trees the city has already cut down as part of this project, he said, “Those were all lovely little trees. 35 feet, nice crown, not a root bulb that’s moving pavement or anything like that.”
The tree in front of Mr. Davidson’s home is marked for removal. He said the city planted it there in 2002 after the previous tree occupying the spot blew over.
“It was a little sapling and now 22 years later, we have a mature tree, and it’s beautiful, with a nice shaped crown and everything,” Mr. Davidson said.
He opposes the tree removal. “As anybody would be, I’m happy to have a freshly paved street…but if this is the cost in terms of aesthetic…we’re in our mid 60s. We won’t live to see these trees beautiful again. That’s going to be a two to three inch sapling that I won’t see aesthetically getting to maturity in my lifetime.”
Ward 3 Councilwoman Diana Palmer, asked by The Chronicle, is she’s heard any complaints said, “I haven’t had anyone reach out recently but there was a lot of communication when this was before the Council.”
The city’s press release said that after tree removal, construction begins, with completion due by the end of the year.
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