Audit: No Wrongdoing In Post-Sandy Tree Cutting And Removal In Nassau
MANHASSET, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Tree-lined streets were stripped of their cover on Long Island.
On Wednesday, CBS 2's Carolyn Gusoff got an exclusive look at the county audit.
Tiny saplings stand where there used to be a canopy of majestic trees down two of Nassau's thoroughfares -- Searingtown and Shelterock roads. Residents claimed they witnessed healthy tree after tree chopped down.
"We found that every single tree, 100 percent, were correctly diagnosed and removed and independently monitored," Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos said.
An audit by Maragos on whether trees were chopped down unnecessarily found no wrongdoing. The comptroller reviewed photos of more than 400 trees, interviewed inspectors and concluded the contractors "did not engage in excessive or indiscriminate tree removal."
He said all the trees were diseased or damaged during Sandy.
Neighbors, however, said they were skeptical.
"There was a financial motive here because there more they cut, the more they got paid and if there was any question they cut," Manhasset resident John Vlakakis said.
Legislator Delia Deriggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) called the tree removal a travesty.
"There was an opportunity to cut down a lot of trees, possibly be reimbursed by FEMA. It really looks bad to me," Deriggi-Whitton said.
The audit isn't the final word on the $70 million Nassau paid tree contractors after Sandy. The district attorneys of both Nassau and Suffolk counties and the state attorney general are each investigating whether laws were broken in awarding contracts, paying workers, and chopping down trees.
FEMA is reimbursing Nassau County for 90 percent of cost of storm-related tree removal, Gusoff reported.
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