EDITORIAL
READERS WRITE
Parkway tree destruction causes big problem
I recently was on a bus that
was taking me to Queens Borough
Hall. I was totally shocked as the
bus passed by the Kew Gardens
Interchange to see that almost all
of the trees along the highways
at that location had been cut
down. It looked like a bomb had
hit the area.
I have been reading in the local
papers about this outrageous
act by the state Department of
Transportation (DOT) who is
working on a major road project
in the area. Arborist Carsten
Glaeser has been cited in these
articles decrying the wanton
slaughter of these trees and of
the negative effect it will have on
the nearby residents. Mr. Glaeser
is a well-known tree expert, and
has been alerting the public for
years of the importance of trees
to our urban communities and in
helping to keep us healthy.
Many of the trees that were
cut for this project were huge
mature trees that had been there
for decades. In these articles, the
state DOT promised to replant
once their project is completed.
The agency does not seem to
realize that mature trees are
capable of cleaning the air much
more effectively than smaller
trees. Smaller trees will take
decades before they can do the job
that a mature tree can do.
The canopy formed by mature
trees is priceless to our city and
its inhabitants and should be
cherished for the wonderful job
that can be accomplished in
cleaning our air. During the
summer months, trees help keep
us cool and assist in cutting down
on air conditioning costs.
All too often, trees are
destroyed because they are
treated as obstacles and
hindrances. Healthy specimens
are frequently removed in all
neighborhoods for a variety of
reasons, usually because they
are a “bother” or “in the way”.
I feel very sorry for the
residents in the immediate area
of the Kew Gardens interchange.
They will be breathing in less
clean air for decades. They will
be experiencing increased noise
levels day and night because the
buffer that the trees had provided
is no longer there. Who knows
what effect this will all have on
the health of these people? Only
time will tell.
Henry Euler, Bayside
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A CIVICS LESSON
A Queens lawmaker is applauding Mayor
Bill de Blasio for launching Civics Week, his
administration’s most robust civic engagement effort
at schools of all grade levels and colleges across New
York City. It will encourage students to register to
vote and participate in activities that empower their
voices in our democracy.
“I urge all NYC youth to register to vote and
become a participant in our democracy,” City
Councilman Danny Dromm, a former public school
teacher, said. “As we have seen in recent years, great
things happen when young people become engaged
in the electoral process.”
The TimesLedger agrees in the importance of
teaching civic engagement to young people in what
the Mayor called an exercise in “creating a fairer and
stronger democracy at home and across the nation.
We would also remind the Mayor to practice what he
preaches when it comes to the intersection of his own
governmental practices and the freedom of the press.
Twice in recent weeks the Mayor’s Office of
Criminal Affairs has alienated the public in regard
to the proposal to build a 29-story jail facility
in Kew Gardens when it barred reporters from
public meeting, a move that was criticized by the
Neighborhood Advisory Committee who already
believed the de Blasio administration was leaving
the community out of the conversation from the start
of the process.
One official said the presence of reporters “are
detrimental to dialogue with the public.” Members
of the council said they welcomed the press and felt
the administration was overstepping a boundary by
restricting coverage in the Kew Gardens Community
Center, which they view as their turf.
Meanwhile, two borough presidents have spoken
out against the administration’s lack of community
engagement in the process of closing Rikers Island
and establishing borough-based jails near court
houses such as Kew Gardens. Queens Borough
President Melinda Katz supports closing Rikers, but
believes the city restart the process to include more
community engagement.
Community Board 9 unanimously passed a
resolution in March opposing the Kew Gardens jail
with the first reason being a lack of communication
with communities which will be directly impacted.
In five meetings over the last several months that
have been explosive with residents having angry
engagements with city officials and representatives of
elected officials for supposed lack of transparency.
Clearly there is a disconnect between the de
Blasio administration and its engagement efforts.
Perhaps some of our city leaders might drop in for
a few lessons during Civics Week.
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TIMESLEDGER,16 APR. 12-18, 2019 BT QNS.COM
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