During Thursday’s public hearing on the fate of a mature city tree, a black locust at 125 Greenwich Avenue in front of Shreve Crump & Low, several members of the public spoke in favor of saving the tree.

The tree consultation was published on July 12.

Greenwich Tree Conservancy Executive Director Kate Dzikiewicz, former Executive Director JoAnn Messina and Board Chairman Peter Malkin spoke out against the tree’s removal.

Local residents Nancy Freeman and Marla Bier also called on the tree warden to decide in favor of the honey locust and find a solution to protect the healthy tree.

Ms Dzikiewicz said the tree appeared to be healthy and recommended sawing off the roots and adding new concrete on top to give the tree a chance of survival.

Alternatively, the sidewalk itself could be raised and ramps installed for pedestrians, she said.

Third, it recommended conducting a thorough structural analysis of the tree and its root system to determine whether any of the above solutions were feasible.

She said the Tree Conservancy can help with the costs of these measures.

Brad Walker, manager and owner of Shreve Crump & Low, said he has heard concerns from numerous people since the notice to remove the tree was published.

“It’s a great tree. We love it. Our security staff stands under it and it provides a lot of shade for the building,” he said. “The sidewalk problems have mostly not been too bad, have gotten a little worse in some years and recently, combined with the heavy rains this summer, it’s caused some problems.”

Mr. Walker said his company has donated about $17,000 to Christmas tree lighting over the past three years.

He asked for a new tree to be planted in front of the building. He said honey locusts had caused problems on sidewalks in cities across the country due to the nature of their root system.

Chairman Selectman Fred Camillo advocated cutting down the tree and replacing it with the largest tree possible.

He said anyone who trips could sue the city and obtain a settlement.

“As someone who supports tree planting and the efforts of the Tree Conservancy, this does not change my position on this.”

“The tree needs to be cut down. It’s causing a huge burden on the city. We’re getting a lot of people contacting us because they’ve tripped or almost tripped. The sidewalk needs to be rebuilt and we’ve also heard that when it rains, water comes into Shreve Crump & Low,” Camillo said.

Marla Bier said she has lived here for 35 years and the Honey Locust has been a staple on the Avenue for many years.

“It’s very disturbing to hear what’s happening. I believe there has to be a safe solution to save the tree,” she said, adding that a tree service could recommend a way to make Shreve Crump & Low safe.

“To take down an otherwise healthy tree – I don’t think that’s a good thing,” she added. “There have been so many changes to the avenue – physical changes and other things that are changing the landscape, and I don’t think they’re for the better.”

Ms. Messina said she walks along the avenue every day and is aware of the safety problem.

“The Department of Public Works has installed Belgian blocks around many of the trees on Greenwich Avenue. I would even argue that it could pose a tripping hazard,” Messina said.

“I stumbled upon the Belgian blocks,” she added.

She added: “We also know that tree roots encourage flooding, but they don’t make it worse. So I would be very suspicious if water started to enter one of the neighboring businesses because of the tree.”

She urged the GTC to work with a tree dealer to find a solution.

Mr Malkin said he and his wife, aged 90 and 87 respectively, both walked with canes and had visited the site to examine it in person.

“We don’t think this is a problem that can’t be solved without cutting down the tree,” he said. “We think any elevation of the sidewalk is much less than the Belgian blocks.”

Second, he added, “it should be possible to modify the walkways so that they gradually rise over the roots. This would eliminate the tripping hazard without having to cut down the tree, and it could be done in a way that would not be an obstacle even for wheelchairs.”

Malkin described the black locust as one of the few very important trees.

He said there is currently a temporary asphalt slope on the sidewalk that completely eliminates tripping hazards.

“And surely the DPW can, as adeptly as it did in Greenwich, propose a gradual raising of the sidewalk to correct the problem and save the tree,” he added.

Nancy Freeman also objected to the removal of the tree, saying it was sad that several mature trees had already been removed along the avenue.

She agreed that the new Belgian blocks around the tree holes posed a greater tripping hazard.

The city’s arborist, Dr. Greg Kramer, pointed out that under state law he has three business days to announce his final decision in writing.

If anyone objects to the decision at that time, they can appeal to the state Supreme Court in Stamford.