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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

If a Tree Falls and There’s No One There to Remove It …”

By James Lomuscio

For Larry Perlstein of Westport’s Highwood Lane, getting a fallen tree removed from blocking his private road since last Thursday’s storm has been an exercise in frustration. Today was day six, and he was still counting.
The downed tree on Highwood Lane that fell last week and only was removed today. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Perlstein for WestportNow.com

But by 2 p.m., he noticed the tree leaning on wires was finally gone, the road clear.

“It’s been removed, amazingly,” he said. “The truck came in and out without us seeing who it was.”

He assumes it was AT&T, but he is not sure. The reason—no one initially would take responsibility for the tree, he said, a matter exacerbated by the fact his road is off Newtown Turnpike which straddles Westport, Wilton and Weston.

“CL&P (Connecticut Light and Power) said it was not their responsibility because it was not a power line,” he said.

“Cablevision said they didn’t have the equipment to do the removal.”

Perlstein said he contacted the Westport Police Department and the Fire Department, and while sympathetic, they said there was nothing they could do to remove it.

A neighbor, whose property is in Wilton, contacted the town only to find that it was not Wilton’s responsibility since it was a private road. Perlstein said he learned the same after coming to Westport Town Hall.

Perlstein said he then called Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff.

“Gordon was very responsive, saying that he would help to arrange for a private contractor to remove it,” Perlstein said, adding that he and his neighbors would be charged for the work. But it did not end there.

“They (the contractors) didn’t want to touch it because it had wires on it,” he said. “It was very frustrating because no one wanted to step up and take responsibility.”

He noted that while the tree was leaning heavily on utility lines running from pole to pole, no one had lost power, cable or phone, “and that’s part of the problem.”

“The neighbors are running out of options and wondering what good is paying property taxes to Westport,” he said earlier today.

By by mid-afternoon, following inquiries from Joseloff to Stephen Edwards, director of the Department of Public Works, who contacted the utility companies, the tree was removed at no cost to Perlstein and his neighbors, nor the taxpayers.

“I didn’t get a bill for it,” said Perlstein. “I just wish I had seen the truck.”

Comments:     Comment Policy

Knapp Tree from Wilton did the work.  AT&T;agreed to pay for the work.  CL&P;made the call to AT&T;to request the work be performed.  The Town DPW called CL&P;to request their assistance.

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