Big changes are coming to a small Hartsdale park
Are the trees at Bob Gold Parklet out of control?
BY DEBORAH SKOLNIK
On the path to improvement The Bob Gold Parklet will be safer and more enjoyable with fewer trees, Greenburgh officials believe.
Like a fun-sized Twix bar, Hartsdale’s Bob Gold Parklet is small, but sweet. Nestled along East Hartsdale Avenue, it has tables and benches where visitors can relax and enjoy the leafy setting. But there’s a problem: The setting has gotten a little too leafy, thanks to its overcrowded trees.
The trees were small when the space first opened about 30 years ago. Now that they are grown, they’re too numerous for the .18-acre plot, local authorities contend. Because of this, it’s now proposed that the stand of red maples be thinned from 12 to four. “We know that people love trees and get upset when trees are cut,” Town Supervisor Paul Feiner shared in a post on the Town of Greenburgh’s website. “But the Parks Department and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee have identified reasons for this proposed action.”
Reducing the number of trees, Feiner explained, “will improve sunlight and provide more space for the remaining trees to grow.” In addition, he said, it will reduce the number of exposed roots on the property. “The ground will be less bumpy–easier for residents to enjoy the park or walk around,” he wrote. Feiner pointed out a second safety concern: The large trees could fall on overhead electrical wires and cause power outages.
In a contentious board meeting on Tuesday, August 22nd, a Greenburgh Parks Department official said that a contractor who has worked for the Town of Greenburgh previously would stop by the Parklet to assess the situation. Feiner strongly recommended getting a second opinion from an arborist who has previously consulted for both Greenburgh and the New York Botanical Garden. “We want to show people that we are being extra, extra careful, much more careful than we have to be, so that people will have confidence in the process,” he said. In addition, he said, he had heard concerns from residents of the apartments near the parklet, who have been using the space as a respite from the subway construction project in front of their buildings. They are worried that the tree removal project will make the parklet inaccessible at this crucial time, Feiner contended. Board members and town officials promptly reminded Feiner that the Town already has both a certified arborist and a forester on staff, making an outside opinion unnecessary.
Ultimately, all agreed it would be a good idea to post a sign at the parklet explaining why the trees will be cut, and to try to postpone the tree removal until the subway construction is completed. The contractor will come by this Tuesday, the 22nd, to assess the parklet and trees.
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Who was Bob Gold? Gold was the proprietor of the Bodleian Book Shop in Hartsdale from 1952-1992. Known as the unofficial “Mayor of Hartsdale,” he was involved in numerous civic and community programs. Among them, Gold served as president of the Hartsdale Chamber of Commerce for 15 years and as treasurer of the Woodlands High School Scholarship Committee for 16 years.