Lowville Mayor: Downtown tree removal initiative is necessary amidst growing safety concerns

LOWVILLE- Crews from the Department of Public Works began removing several trees in the downtown area on Wednesday and village officials say this project is necessary amidst growing safety concerns.

Mayor Joe Beagle says about a dozen trees are in the process of being removed, all mainly between the Lewis County Historical Society and the Four Corners.

They were originally planted there almost a decade ago in the wake of a major construction project, with aims of beautifying the downtown area.

However, the Mayor and other village officials say there are a couple of reasons that sparked this removal process.

First, Mayor Beagle says the trees were staring to grow out of proportion and become too large – creating safety concerns with branches blocking road signs and root systems eventually creating issues with the sidewalks.

Furthermore, the Mayor iterated how several of these trees have become diseased from salt working into the roots from during the winter months.

With all of this said, the Mayor and village of Lowville wants its residents and visitors to know that these trees will be replaced with flower pots and smaller trees that will be planted every-other space.

DPW crews are expected to continue this process until all stumps have been uprooted and removed.

Image by Julie Delles-Post.