To the Editor:
The “powers that be” in the Village of Newberry Government recently announced that they will proceed with their agenda to chop down the scenic trees that line Newberry Ave. This is after they publically announced late last fall that the decision would be delayed until significant research was done.
I became a member of the infrastructure committee as a resident, in a non-voting capacity. I attended meetings where this issue was discussed. There were vague discussions about the trees and then it was tabled. It was then I realized that their minds were made up and they did not want to be confused or bothered with facts.
There are currently 13 trees that line the village of Newberry, and the Village Government has announced that they will chop down all of them. Of those, only three trees have produced what might be considered “a minor disruption” on the sidewalk and someone would have to try very hard to walk into those areas. They claim they have consulted with an arborist, yet this arborist has not come to observe the concerns.
This short-sighted decision is foolish and just one more reason why so few people in Newberry vote or have a favorable view of the people who run the village.
This decision is also without logic. Why remove every tree if there is only a “problem” with a few?
There are dozens of places where the sidewalks and roads are so damaged that they could actually be considered dangerous. The condition of these trees has been the same for years and there haven’t been any lawsuits filed against the village for injury, nor reports of anyone being injured.
But the injury of tree removal is irreversible. Once removed, Newberry won’t have charm of the beautiful fall colors or the soothing summer shade at all, because you can bet your last nickel that trees will not be replanted.
I spoke during public comment at the TAS Board meeting tonight and asked for additional time to address my concerns. I was given 90 seconds extra. When the questions got tough, I was shut down even though there was no one else behind me in line to address the board.
An old adage states: “Anything you’re not allowed to ask questions about is something you should be asking more questions about.”
We deserve better.
Pete Wurdock
Newberry
