M'burgh Village Removes Trees, will Plant Replacement

By David Avitabile

MIDDLEBURGH - As part of the sidewalk replacement project in the Village of Middleburgh, two trees were removed in the small park across from the Middleburgh Fire House last week.

The two large trees were removed Tuesday, the morning after the village board approved a bid from Schoenecker Construction for $60,900 to replace sidewalks on two sections of Wells Avenue, a section on Danforth Avenue, and also on Lower Grove Street.

Once the new sidewalks are installed, the village will be planting one new tree further away from the sidewalks and water/sewer lines to limit any damage from future tree root systems, Mayor Tim Knight announced.

The trees were removed because they had caused the existing sidewalks to fracture and buckle due to both their proximity to the sidewalks and their extensive tree root systems, the Mayor explained.

"It made no sense to spend $10,000 on new infrastructure when they would only be damaged by the same tree roots that buckled the existing sidewalks."

Workers from Schoenecker Construction also began removing old sidewalks last Tuesday morning. They will place stone at residents driveways to ensure ease of access between the removal of the existing sidewalk and the installation of new sidewalk.

In the late winter, Mayor Knight said the sidewalks committee and Mr. Keyser looked over the sidewalks in the village and selected these three sections since they are some of the worst and most heavily traveled in the village, outside of Main Street.

The three sections of sidewalks selected were:

* Wells Avenue from Our Lady of the Valley parsonage to Chestnut Lane. 325 feet with curb, four-feet-by-six inches deep. One blind detector tile at a corner.

* Wells Avenue from Chestnut Lane to Lower Grove Street. 395 feet with curb (325 feet on Wells and 70 on Lower Grove). Four feet wide by six inches deep. Three blind detector tiles.

* Danforth Avenue to Wells Avenue (sidewalk around fire department park). 150 feet with no curb. Four feet wide by six inches deep. Two blind detector tiles.