WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. October 24, 2007: The engineering consultant commissioned by the school district to review options for rehabilitating the White Plains High School woods that were arbitrarily cut down by order of the district manager of buildings and grounds to build ballfields in August reported to the Board Wednesday evening. He said that in his opinion the soil was not contaminated and that the replanting of the woods, demanded by Haviland Manor residents who look out on the desecrated area (now a forlorn field of stumps), could be achieved by planting 15 trees about one foot high in the center of the meadow portion,  and 10 to 12 foot evergreens ringing the meadow area.  The cost of the restoration was estimated at $70,000.

The Wipeout of the Woods. August 7, 2007. WPCNR File Photo

```Proposed Rehab Plan of Wiped Out Woods Presented Wednesday Evening. North is at the top of the landscape plan. Plan consists of 15 small 12 inch plantings of trees in the center with meadow grasses, surrounded by planting of approximately 25 - 12 foot evergreens surrounding the center meadow as a visual buffer presenting to Havilands Lane, bottom of picture.

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors said that if the board approves the plan the rehab/replanting could be executed in November.  Assistant Superintendent for Business, Fred Seiler, said he estimated the total cost of the removal of the trees, the engineering and landscape design and cost of new trees would be $70,000.

Glen Watson of Badey & Watson gave the opinion that the operation would not require an Environmental Impact Statement and approval of the Department of Environmental Conservation before they would start. He said that by filing what he called an Environmental Assessment Form describing the work they were going to perform on the field, and if the DEC felt the project required their further review, the DEC could intervene and review it.  Watson also wrote SEQRA was probably violated by the original ripping out of the woods, and that a Stormwater Pollution Plan is required. He assured the neighbors to the site that “there is no anticipated effect on drainage patters across the site.

Alan Teck, the conservationist, one of the neighbors living adjacent to the violated site, said the neighbors in attendance were realistic and “reconciled in varying degrees of happiness” with the district solution.  He said that Superintendent of Schools Connors agreed persons executing the rehab view the site from the various properties of neighbors affected by the views to position trees for maximum shielding of the high school campus view from their yards.

Teck thought that was a positive.  Teck observed that the rehab “does not come close to restoring what  was there.”  He said, “Everybody (neighbors) realizes that the ambience of their homes is decimated and is being decimated. This is a compromise.” He recognized the district had limited resources and “there’s no way they could replace what was there."

Teck did have a problem with the 12 foot evergreens and the slopes of the site and said that needed to be relooked at, saying that a tree on a slope does not provide as much height to screen the project because it is on a slope.

Bill Pollak, School Board member observed that the school district and the neighbors being put in this situation, “seemed so unnecessary to me.”