Letters to the Editor
It is time for Cheektowaga to take the lead and start cutting wasteful government spending
By John C. Stonefield
Oct 23, 2010, 09:52

It is time for Cheektowaga to take the lead and start cutting wasteful government spending. We can start with the town's highway dept. Currently they have a policy of cutting down huge Silver Maple trees along town roads for esthetic reasons. The thought of cutting down a healthy 30-40 year old tree is outrageous. These trees along the streets of Cheektowaga absorb CO 2 from vehicles and provide shade in the summer and homes for birds and gray squirrels. I've seen numerous trees removed including four within the past year close to our home. Only one was removed because of roots penetration into a plumbing line. These trees should only replaced when they are a safety hazard or disturbing vital plumbing lines. Although roots entering pipes can be easily augured out. Some sidewalks can easily be routed around the exposed trees roots at far lower costs.
Our tax dollars are spent on five to six guys paid union hours, and for diesel fuel for the trucks to remove each tree. For some unforeseen reason the workers keep the vehicles running and adding to the tons of diesel emissions to our already highly polluted air. It is well known fact that the air pollution in W.N.Y and especially Bellevue is extremely high. We already are suffering for with high rates of Asthma in innocent children in the surrounding community.
Several weeks later we pay another three guys to come back and grind the stump and roots and remove the wood chips. Then they come back a third time and add fresh top soil, grade it, and apply grass seed the area, and finally a small tree is replanted all at the expense of taxpayers. It will take another 30-40 years to grow a comparable size tree, maybe even longer since the new trees are a different type and slower growing.
We pay millions in our combined property taxes. How many thousands of our hard earned tax dollars are wasted on this long process. It is time to speak out against wasteful spending. This would be a first step of many to cut spending at a local level. We must start somewhere for harder economic times are coming. Cutting spending locally is a beginning of many cuts which are will be needed at all levels of government.
In closing I would like to say more taxes and more unaccountable spending will not make our local economy grow. We need to encourage the longevity of our Republic and the pursuit of economic growth in the Town of Cheektowaga.

from,
John C. Stonefield
President of the C.C.C.

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