Jan 10, 2008 11:55 pm US/Eastern
Tree Program Has Some Squirrel Hill Folks Fired Up
SQUIRREL HILL (KDKA) ―
A plan to cut down thousands of trees that the City of Pittsburgh believes are dangerous has some Squirrel Hill residents upset.
Dozens of neighbors met with some of the city's tree experts who tried to explain why the trees had to come down.
A study shows the trees are dangerous and pose a liability to the city. But many people at the meeting believe it was a waste of time.
"They can't tell you how much it costs to do anything. They can't tell you how many trees they have planted," James Wallace said. "It's all wishy-washy stuff."
"We're trying to communicate better with the neighborhood here, the Squirrel Hill area," Pittsburgh Public Works Director Guy Costa said.
He admits the city has done a poor job telling people about the tree program that plans to cut down more than 3,000 trees and plant about 4,200.
But he insists the trees will be replaced. Costa says once the program is complete, there will be a net gain of trees.
Two members of City Council - Doug Shields and Bill Peduto - are proposing changing the process of taking down the trees. They want to inform residents ahead of time and give them a chance to appeal the tree's removal.
They also say a tree should be promptly replaced if one is taken down.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
