What Goes On Here

by Nan Gundersen

Tree Stump Population Increases
In late September 2007, former Village Board Member Ray O'Connell, acting on behalf of the Village of Nyack, authorized a licensed arborist, Dean Dykeman, to conduct an inspection and evaluation of all trees on village land. The survey that took place the following month counted the trees, identified those to be removed, prioritized removal and pruning work, recommend replacements and conducted a survey of species.

The report's conclusions: there are approximately 300 trees on municipal property, 41 of which were slated for removal. 83 required pruning or cabling. Species distribution was described as good, with red maples the dominant species.

By the time you read this, all 41 condemned trees have been cut down (by our own DPW). Pruning will be done by the DPW as budget allows and replacement of trees will take place over the next 1-5 years. The village plans to seek grants for the purpose.

The arborist's report recommended that the village adopt a budget to provide funds for annual tree maintenance. In his report, Dykeman notes that, "due to financial constraints, [he] was limited to a visual inspection of the trees" and that "no trees were measured with any device, drilled or sounded to determine decay."

Forty-one of them were, nevertheless, turned into stumps. The report is at Village Hall, in the clerk's office. You should have a look at it.

Evergreens for Main Street
Cris Spezial, of Nyack Gourmet on Main Street and his fellow shop owners, replaced the decaying wooden planter barrels on the north side of the block and planted the replacements with small evergreens. What a difference this makes as you look down the block. We applaud whoever helped with the project.

Late Night Bar Crowds Create Problems
After dark, Nyack is far different from what it is in the daytime. With the ever increasing number of bars and restaurants has come an increase in noise, lasting long into the night, often disturbing residents who live downtown.
This noise is generated both inside the bars and outside, where patrons gather to smoke and talk. Arguments and fights sometimes break out and there is a general disregard for the cleanliness of our sidewalks. Cigarette butts and other trash ends up on the ground and in the planters.
The problem doesn't end there. When shop-owners open their stores in the morning, they are met with the stench of urine and vomit on the sidewalks and in their doorways.
Nobody wants the restaurants and bars to go away-but is it too much to ask the owners to be good citizens and to take responsibility to monitor their patrons? A good first step would be to put out butt receptacles. It would also help the situation if the Orangetown PD would at least try to discourage littering, public urination and excessive noise.

If you have any ideas about how we can better manage these problems, e-mail Nan Gundersen at info@nyackvillager.com

Village Board Meetings go on the road
Most of the time, Nyack's Village Board meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month at Village Hall.

· As an experiment, the meeting for Thursday, May 22 will be held at 7:30pm in the Waldron Terrace Community Room, 15 Highview Ct., Court, Nyack The meeting for Thursday, June 26th will be held at 7:30pm at the Nyack Senior Center, 90 Depew Avenue, Nyack

These are regular meetings of the Nyack Village Board and the public is welcome to attend as usual. NOTE: due to limited parking at Waldron Terrace, it is recommended that people car pool if they are planning on coming to that particular meeting.

Info: Village Clerk, Mary White at 358-0548.

Extended Office Hours
On the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays in April, May and June, the Village Clerk's office will be open from 8am to 6pm on a trial basis. Normal business hours are 9 to 5.

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