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Brooklynite Wants Stinky Tree Removed
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 21, 2009
Modified Oct 21, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 21, 2009
Modified Oct 21, 2009
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Seeing as how it takes the Parks Dept. 3 to 5 years to deal with tree problems, it's unlikely that Bay Ridge resident Richard Mahany will get the gingko tree that's stinking up his neighborhood removed any time soon. The Brooklyn Paper reports that the man is angry that the tree "dumps its foul-smelling fruit on the sidewalk in front of his 78th Street home."
The 74-year-old says the gingko is a "menace," and (probably whilst shaking his fist in the air) declared: “If the city can refuse to remove the tree, then I can refuse to clean up the mess — it’s a city tree!” He's cleaned up after it for 40 years, but after having quintuple bypass surgery he understandably doesn't have the energy anymore. So the gingko is shedding its odorous fruit onto the sidewalk, which allegedly produce a vomitous odor that goes all the way down 5th Avenue.
Parks Department spokesman Phil Abramson told the paper they stopped planting female gingko trees (males don't smell) after complaints, however they are under no obligation to help out residents who have ended up with one, and it's the responsibility of the homeowner to clean up after it. The homeowner, Mahoney says, “Don’t get me wrong, I love trees. I’m willing to pay for another tree - I just don’t have the energy to keep cleaning this up.” Since the tree is healthy, it looks like residents are stuck with it for a while... but consider it on arboricide watch!
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brooklyn
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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