Queens, NY – Today, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D,WF-Fresh Meadows), Council Member Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) joined by the Bayside Hills Civic Association and local volunteers, launch the Greening Eastern Queens Initiative in Bayside Hills. The initiative will include a canvass and survey of sidewalks, tree pits, and malls in Bayside Hills.

“Eastern Queens contains some of the most beautiful streetscapes in the City,” said Assemblywoman Nily Rozic. “The Greening Eastern Queens Initiative will work to preserve our neighborhood and make sidewalks safer. Together with Council Member Vallone, local legislators, community organizations, and neighbors, I will work to make our city even greener and greater for everyone to enjoy.”

Council Member Paul Vallone stated, “As we celebrate Arbor Day, I am committed to making New York a greener city. I commend Assemblywoman Rozic on her efforts to obtain more trees for Northeast Queens and join her in calling on the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to plant more trees in our community, and I look forward to working with her on making Bayside even greener.”

Rozic started the Greening Eastern Queens Initiative in Hillcrest and Fresh Meadows after complaints from constituents about fallen trees and rotting tree stumps resulting from Hurricane Sandy and other weather related incidents last year. Rozic’s office compiled a report for the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation that identified 92 empty tree pits and stumps, 85 of which were marked for replacement.

State Senator Tony Avella stated, “I am glad to join Assemblymember Nily Rozic today in identifying tree issues throughout neighborhoods in her District, many of which actually fall into my Senatorial District. As many people know, I have been a longtime advocate for increased tree maintenance in the City of New York and have continuously spoken out against former Mayor Bloomberg’s policy of planting a million trees rather than taking care of the ones that we already have. So many tree related hazards are evident as you walk down residential blocks but the City has refused, time and time again, to properly respond to tree prunings, dead tree, and stump removal requests. We, as Legislators, must therefore continue to bring these issues to the forefront and pressure the City to do more in terms of tree maintenance. I commend the Assemblymember for initiating this survey and look forward to working with her office on addressing all of the issues that are raised here today.”

Michael Feiner, President of Bayside Hills Civic Association, said, “This is the time of year the Bayside Hills Civic Association’s Beautification Committee, along with our Department of Parks, begins sprucing up our malls for the Spring season. This year in addition, we will include a tree canvassing project thanks to Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, Council Member Paul Vallone, and Bayside Hills volunteers. They will be walking through the neighborhood to see if there are any tree stumps to be removed, trees to be pruned, or empty tree pits that can hold new trees. What a great time for the community of Bayside Hills!”

New York State Arbor Day is celebrated the last Friday of April every year.

Residents who would like to request a tree or have any related issues can contact Rozic’s office at 718-820-0241 or rozicn@assembly.state.ny.us.