Wednesday, December 3, 2008

City fines woman after tree found dead

The sidewalk in front of 178 Bowery is a dangerous place - for a tree, that is.

A Japanese pagoda sapling died last summer on the lower East Side block when workers at a nearby restaurant supply shop allegedly poured noxious cleaning fluid around its roots.

It was the second time in a decade that a leafy sidewalk denizen has bit the dust - another tree was chopped down there in 1998.


We know who poisoned poor Japanese pagoda sapling, officials bark

Thankfully, this time, the tree-slay squad says it knows who to blame for the tree's death.

It slapped Eagle Restaurant Equipment owner Penny Chung, 46, with a series of fines over the pagoda sapling, which still stands lifeless at the site.

Since 2000, the Department of Sanitation has hit Eagle with 76 violations citing "noxious liquid," "sidewalk obstruction," "dirty sidewalk" and "failure to clean," a spokesman said.

It ordered her to pay a grand total of $2,806 after determining the tree died as a result of the abuse.

The penalty would have been even harsher if someone had intentionally chopped down the tree, officials said.


Except in Queens where developers do it all the time and nothing is ever done about it.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Asians apparently...
"No like tree".

That's actually what a Korean woman once told her neighbor on 164th Street (north of Northern Blv'd.) in Flushing, after she DELIBERATELY "girdled" an NYC street tree
(Pin Oak) in front of her house attempting to kill it.

We took quick action and coated the trunk with roofing tar which saved it then reported her!

Damned barbarian low life!

Anonymous said...

The community board in Astoria also encouraged the same.

They told the old Greek and Italian guys that the trees clog drains and the leaves are a pain in the behind.

They even transfered trees to other community boards.

The real reason was to make it easier to develop and park in front lots.

Anonymous said...

CB1 the communityt board from hell!

Anonymous said...

Imagine this on Grand Avenue, the shopkeepers their are filthy and dont clean or sweep the sdiewalks.
Especially on the block of Grand/Remsen Restuarnt, Scholastic and in front of the architects office. They should receive fines!!

Anonymous said...

The worst is in front of the chinese food (and others) restaurants where they put the garbage out on the curb. The sidewalks are pure black, slick, and smell on nice summer days. its disgusting. A brand-new sheet of concrete can be turned black in just weeks.