Empire State Building Owner to DOT: Leave the Trees

The owner of the Empire State Building’s not happy with Connecticut state employees who are taking away trees on the historic Merritt Parkway.

Peter Malkin, of Greenwich, chairman of the investment group that owns New York City's tallest building, thinks the parkway's character is threatened by disappearing trees and wants the chopping to end.

DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick’s not taking the well-connected mogul’s fight against deforestation lying down.

His crew has a $66.5 million federal stimulus project to finish, making safety improvements and upgrading 13 bridges in Fairfield and Trumbull, and they’ve been working hard to balance aesthetics with safety, he said.

Another DOT safety project includes clearing 300 trees in Stratford.

The next phase of this tree-cutting battle will happen on Wednesday when preservationists meet in Norwalk with DOT Commissioner Joseph Marie.

DOT’s holding a public information session at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at Osborn Hill Elementary School in Fairfield to discuss the stimulus project, the Greenwich Time reports.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC Connecticut

Leave Comments