NYC’s Repair of Tree damaged Sidewalks

At our next OANA meeting on Oct. 8th, NYC Parks Forestry (Trees) will be joining us, and we look forward to an extremely interesting presentation (Note: NYS Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan will also be joining us). However, the Parks specialist on the newly announced Sidewalk Repair program, (in which the city will be responsible for sidewalks damaged by street trees), cannot make it. He did, however, issue the following statement:

“Trees & Sidewalks Program: Sidewalks are prioritized for repair through the Trees & Sidewalks program based on the severity of damage and availability of funding. NYC Parks’ foresters inspect sites requested for repair and assign a priority rating on a scale of 0-100-100 being the most severe damage. Due to limited funding, they must prioritize the highest rated sites each year. In addition, sidewalks are only qualified for inspection once every three years upon request.

Repairing the sidewalk through an independent contractor is often the quickest solution to repair a damaged sidewalk. If the constituent wishes to repair the sidewalk through an independent contractor, he/she may request a free sidewalk consultation with a Parks forester who can offer site-specific repair solutions for working around the City tree. The selected contractor should be on-site for the consultation so that all repair recommendations and guidelines are fully understood. The contractor must obtain the necessary permits from the Department of Transportation (DOT) and NYC Parks prior to any sidewalk work.

If the constituent wishes to file a claim against the City of New York relative to repairs he/she performed to their sidewalk as a result of damage that they believe was caused by a City tree, he/she may do so by filing a claim with the New York City Comptroller’s Office within 90 days of performing the repair. To file a claim, you can obtain a Notice of Claim form at https://comptroller.nyc.gov/services/for-the-public/claims/file-a-claim/.”

If you want to start the process for tree damage repair in Old Astoria, please forward the closest address along with photos to  Community Board 1 qn01@cb.nyc.gov and cc OANA info@oana-ny.org

Photo credit: Richard Khuzami

Richard Khuzami

Mr. Khuzami has been a member of Community Board 1 in Astoria, NY for the last 20 years. He sits on the Zoning and parks Committees and is on the Executive Board. Previously, he served as Parks and Culture chair of Community Board 1 for eleven years and also chaired Capital and Expense priority Committee. He is a member of the Queens General Assembly and had been a panelist for grant submissions for the Queens Council on the Arts (QCA). Richard also is an officer of The Eastern Mediterranean Business Culture Alliance (EMBCA) and President of OANA.