Congers residents upset over school tree removal

Congers residents say they are upset over the removal of trees outside a former school. The trees were removed to make way for a parking lot, outside of what is now called the Clarkstown Learning Center.

News 12 Staff

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Oct 8, 2015, 2:26 AM

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Updated 3,311 days ago

Congers residents say they are upset over the removal of trees outside a former school.

The trees were removed to make way for a parking lot, outside of what is now called the Clarkstown Learning Center.

Neighbors say getting rid of the 60-year-old trees in front of the former Congers Elementary School is another message that school leaders are not listening to their concerns.

"They're cutting down 60-year-old trees for, as far as I know, five or six parking spaces," says parent Phil Leiter. "We're literally paving paradise, to put up a parking lot."

The school closed in 2013 for safety reasons. Voters approved a bond issue to repair and reopen the school, but the Clarkstown School Board later decided to keep it closed.

District officials have said changing demographics dictated their decision, but critics don't accept that answer.

Some say the way the school was treated raises concerns about another bond proposal going before voters later this year.

News 12 reached out to the Clarkstown School District for comment, but school officials have not yet returned the call.