By Adam Swift
Several city councillors want to make sure Revere is doing more to plant trees along the city’s streets and sidewalks.
At last week’s meeting, Councillors Paul Argenzio, Joanne McKenna, and Jim Mercurio introduced a motion asking that the mayor and public works superintendent include a line item in the upcoming public works budget preparation specifically for the planting of street trees and installation of tree pits along city streets.
The motion suggested that the FY27 budget include between $10,000 and $20,000 for the line item, with a goal of increasing the amount in subsequent budgets.
“The city has kind of fallen behind in its tree planting program,” said Argenzio. “We have an excellent program where we remove dead trees, trim trees; but the planting of trees has kind of fallen away and it is extremely important in an urban area.”
Argenzio noted that DCR does have a good program where the state agency comes in and plants trees in some areas of the city, but said the majority of the trees over the past several years have been planted on private property.
“Another thing that happens is when we do our streets with (state) Chapter 90 money, you can spend Chapter 90 money putting trees in on these streets and the city has kind of let that go,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of sidewalks and streets done over in the last few years with no planting of any city street trees.”
In the recent past, Argenzio noted, the city has left it up to the homeowners as to if they wanted a tree planted on the streets in front of their houses.
“But it is really not their property and you really need to concentrate on lining our city streets with some trees,” said Argenzio.
McKenna said that when the city redid five streets last summer, it only planted six trees.
“These are city sidewalks and the city should take over the say of where a tree goes,” said McKenna.
McKenna said many residents do not want trees in front of their homes because they feel they can uproot the sidewalks and cause damage to the water and sewer lines. However, she said the types of trees being planted today only grow to 15 to 20 feet and do not cause the kinds of problems created in the past.
“It is important to know that trees are an essential part of a healthy environment in a heavily urban city,” said McKenna. “Especially in Beachmont and the Point of Pines, air pollution and extreme noise is a constant factor as airplanes fly morning and night, skimming these areas before departing and descending.”
Mercurio said that the urban trees are not just decorative, but an essential part of the central urban infrastructure.
“They help reduce extreme heat, improve air quality, manage stormwater, and make our streets safer and more walkable,” said Mercurio.
However, Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya said homeowners should still have a say on whether trees are planted in front of their property.
“Residents should have the opportunity to weigh in on whether they want a tree or tree pit adjacent to their property before any installation takes place,” she said.
Guarino-Sawaya noted that while the sidewalks are owned by the city, the residents have the responsibility of cleaning them up after a snow storm.
The trees that are planted, she said, eventually grow and can cause damage to the sidewalks, as well as blocking views to the ocean in certain neighborhoods.
Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky said that the trees would not necessarily be planted in the middle of the property lines, but near the property borders so that they do not block the views for residents.
