Oakmont landlord raises concerns about tree

OAKMONT, Pa. (KDKA) — A landlord in Oakmont is frustrated because he says the Shade Tree Commission won't do anything about a tree that he says has become a safety hazard. 

For years, property owner Mark Hunkele said he's been trying to get the tree trimmed or cutdown. He even offered to foot the bill.

"I think people's safety should be the utmost concern and not the tree," Hunkele said. 

It sits right in front of Hunkele's rental property on California Avenue in Oakmont. It's a beautiful tree but Hunkele says the shade it offers isn't worth the risk.

"I think anybody is at risk who walks along there because either a storm or anything like that the branches could interact with the distribution lines and the current could run down the tree in the rain and it could either electrocute and seriously injure someone who's walking along there," Hunkele said.

Some powerlines run through the tree while others hang low, strapped onto the trunk. Hunkele is an aerospace and electrical engineer, so he understands the hazards.

"And the other concern is the fire, that kind of voltage could cause a fire if the branches interacted with the lines," Hunkele said. 

Hunkele bought the home in 2021. Not long after, he says he reached out to the Shade Tree Commission.

In April 2022, he submitted a tree service request form to Oakmont Borough. He checked off low branches and visibility hazard and requested the tree be trimmed or removed.  

Fast forward, more than two years later, Hunkele submitted another tree service request form, asking for the same thing.  

"They finally responded and said they wouldn't take any action," Hunkele said. 

"I offered to remove the tree myself, to cut it down at my own expense and have a new tree planted, a smaller tree planted there and they wouldn't let me do that either."

The director of the Shade Tree Commission, who is a certified arborist, responded Monday afternoon. Brian Crooks says Duquesne Light is responsible for pruning trees for line clearance and the utility company is planning to do so next year.

The commission director also told KDKA-TV only the three topmost wires are high voltage lines, and those are not engulfed by the tree.