By Mark Pazniokas / CTMirror.org
Gov. Ned Lamont spoke publicly for the first time Monday about a Hearst Connecticut report last week that a contractor that he and a homeowners’ association hired cleared trees illegally in a protected wetland behind the governor’s home in Greenwich.
Standing by a flowering tree outside a hospital in Bridgeport, where he held a press conference on a maternal and newborn health program, the governor accepted responsibility for the tree cutting — but bristled at the reported motive.
Hearst reported that the clearing of more than 180 trees over several acres “had the effect of opening up a scenic view from Lamont’s house and his neighbors, the Viks, down the hillside to Indian Spring Pond below.”
The governor insisted the contractor was hired to clear storm-damaged trees on his and association property, not to improve his view.
“You’ve said about six straight times, ‘They clear cut 180 trees for a clear view of the lake.’ Come look at the backyard,” Lamont said. “You’ll see nothing but trees — no lake.”
“So it wasn’t anything to do with the view?” Lamont was asked.
“I can repeat myself,” Lamont said sharply. “You don’t see any lake. You see nothing but trees from the backyard. And Hearst should have followed up on that. I really think they should have.”
The governor did not dispute, however, central elements of the story: The contractor did not have a permit, some of the trees cleared were on a neighbor’s property, and the work violated Greenwich wetland rules.
The Hearst article was based in part on minutes of the town’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourse commission, and reported that the manager of 90 acres of forested property near the Lamonts’ land described the damage as widespread.
The story was posted shortly after Lamont helped plant 35 cherry blossom trees in East Hartford for Earth Day.
The property manager said it appeared views were opened from the Lamont house and a neighbor’s “in a coordinated effort to open views down to the lake.”
“It was coordinated destruction of the entire ecosystem in that area. The perpetrators should restore the entire area as closely as possible to the way it was. The applicants should spare no expense to facilitate full restoration,” the manager said, according to the minutes.
“They should do whatever is asked of them and not try to negotiate anything less than a full restoration.”
The tree cutting occurred in November. A call for restoration came before the wetlands panel in March.
The undeveloped, forested parcel is owned by INCT, a limited liability corporation based in Manhattan. INCT is a member of the Ashton Association, the homeowners’ group, but was not consulted before the cutting.
So, who is responsible?
“I think at the end of the day, I’m responsible and the association is,” Lamont said. “They hired a contractor to do the work. I think the contractor frankly went beyond the scope a little bit.”
More than a little bit, according to the neighbor’s property manager and his lawyer.
The Greenwich wetlands panel met briefly Monday without taking action on an order for restoration. Lamont said he already has told his neighbor he would “make good” on repairing the damage.
The governor added that he did not know why his contractor failed to get a permit.
“I’m afraid we rely upon the landscaper for that. I didn’t know you need written permit to clean up a dead tree, but now I know,” Lamont said. “It’ll never happen again.”
How ironic ! It will never happen again…. BUT. Wink wink,end of the day, it’s done. Terrible.
That’s how life is today.
Rules do not apply to the chosen few.
We see it daily in our own towns.
Sure look at the leaf blower nightmare !
Contractors can’t use them but the town can ?
Like whaaaat.
You literally can’t make this stuff up.
Whatever happened to lead by example.
Ahhhh until it doesn’t suit you.
The East Hartford tree planting was organized by local resident Toshiko Uchino, 79. It is her goal to plant cherry trees as a symbol of friendship and unity, with the goal of planting 10,000 trees. She invited the governor, and to our surprise and Toshiko’s delight, not only did he accept the invitation but so too did the Japanese and American Consuls to the United States, coming from Boston and Washington D.C. It was a picture-perfect day as 35 trees were planted at Rentschler Field. But first the existing trees lining the entrance of Silver Lane to the Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field parking lots were removed by the groundskeeping staff, so it was really an exchange of one tree for another. Similarly, it might be noted, the original gift of cherry trees from Japan (the tree is was first Chinese, imported to Japan) was first conceived by an American woman who traveled there in 1885. It took until 1909 for the gift of 2,000 trees to become a reality – and the trees were ordered to be burned when they arrived in the port of Seattle due to observed blight. Undeterred the mayor of Tokyo sent another shipment of cherry trees to America in 1912, 3,000 trees. Those are the trees which everyone now admired around the reflection pool at the nation’s capitol. There are many layers of irony, the first being that, although invited, few had reason to expect the governor would come to a cherry tree planting; the second, that the original trees would be removed and replaced; third, that the cherry tree token of love and friendship actually is a tree which is Chinese; and lastly that the governor would be singing the praises of trees being “the lungs of our environment” here in East Hartford at the same time contractors, or their designee, were in trouble for denuding the lot of trees behind his residence. All of this makes for just another day in our Connecticut neck of the woods.
This is a perfect example of how overdue CT is for legislation that gives trees a fighting chance against selfish and economic interests. We should be really embarassed as a state with the example our own Governor has provided here. Him saying “oopsie sorry” is way too little, too late.
Planting new trees will never be equal to the ecological value of mature trees. We need legislation that is pro-active, not reactive after the damage is long done. Paying for restoration after the fact is not a deterrant. For the wealthy, a fine is nothing but a “do whatever I feel like” tax.
A piece of tree preservation and health in Connecticut wetlands driving around our green state can be seen a condition killing trees in the wetlans quicker than this clearcutting fisaco.
Please observe and understand what two Asian invasive tree vines are doing to our so called protected wetlands. The “mile a minute” and “Bittersweet” vines are spreading and destroying wetland all over the state at breakneck speed. What are DEEP, State,Towns and most tree and even
wetland conservations doing about this plague? Not much of anything!
If we really care about Connecticuts tree treasure and the advance of C02 in our atmosphere a lot of agencies, preservation groups, citizens and even so called interested media outlets need to get off their lazy asses and do something to educate, slow and eliminate this horribably destructive wetland disease!