Upper East Side, NY – On Wednesday July 18, local community groups including the East 86th Street Association, the East 60s Neighborhood Association, the East 72nd Street Neighborhood Association and Upper Greenside came together with Council Member Ben Kallos and the New York City Parks Department to celebrate the installation of a significant number of the tree guards requested by Council Member Kallos and the community for the Upper East Side.
Council Member Kallos allocated a total of $175,000 from his discretionary funding in FY 2018 to get the 98 tree guards installed. With the help of the community groups, the work is now very much under way.
Just months ago Council Member Kallos and the New York City Parks Department announced 19 new trees valued at $38,000 provided by the MTA and 17 new tree guards to protect them, and plantings along Second Avenue at the cost of $30,600 provided by Council Member Ben Kallos. This was an expansion of his Adopt-A-Planter program launched in 2014 along the First Avenue protected bike lane.
As covered by PIX 11 News in 2014 Council Member Kallos secured approvals from NYC Parks and the Department of Transportation for residents to adopt planters with and without trees to beautify them with training and materials from Upper Green Side. Over the past four years, the Adopt-A-Planter participants have requested tree guards to protect trees and plantings.
“Although the work is not over yet the installation of these tree guards represents a big step in the process of beautifying and cleaning up Upper East Side Streets,” said Council Member Ben Kallos.” Thank you to all the groups and individuals, who have invested many hours of work doing surveys, planting flowers, and canvassing the neighborhood so that we could get the tree guards in.”
“The East 86th Street Association appreciates the efforts of Councilmember Ben Kallos and his staff to beautify the Upper East Side with over 100 new tree guards. These tree guards enhance the neighborhood and help the trees and flowers to flourish,” said Susan Sullivan Gottridge Board Member of the East 86th Street.
"The East 86th Street Association is thrilled that Council Member Kallos has funded so many new tree guards throughout the district. We were happy to partner with Ben to identify trees in high traffic areas that desperately needed protection. Healthy trees contribute to the health of New Yorkers and enhance our quality of life. The guards are attractive as well. We appreciate Ben's tireless efforts to better our community,” said Andrew Fine, Board Member of the East 86th Neighborhood Association.
“The East 79th Street Neighborhood Association is proud of the more than 100 tree guards that were installed in the 70s and 80s blocks over the years. Particularity apprenticed were the tree guards that the association installed to protect the trees around P.S. 158, “said Betty Cooper Wallerstein, founder of the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association.
“These tree guards, while providing essential protection for the plants and trees in the bike path islands, add an attractive finishing touch to these tiny oases throughout the East 60s and 70s,” said Barry Schneider, President of the East Sixties Neighborhood Association.
“Thanks to our Councilmember Ben Kallos for securing these additional tree guards, they will promote and protect the health of our trees and showcase the work of our devoted volunteer gardeners all along the avenue. We look forward to more trees along Second Avenue! “said Valerie Mason of the East 72nd Street Neighborhood Association.
“The East 86th Street Association thanks City Council Member Ben Kallos and his staff for listening to the needs of the community and working with the East 86th Street Association and other civic groups to provide the funding to install over 100 tree guards. Tree guards are essential to protecting our trees and planting’s and saving these pockets of open park space. Let us hope that these spaces flourish,” said Elaine Walsh, President East 86th Street Merchant Residents Association.
“We love the new tree guards and cannot wait until we have all 56 of the from East 60th to East 95th Street come this spring,” said Sarah Gallagher founder of the Upper Green Side.”