May 11, 2015, The New Haven Independent, by Paul Bass - This locust tree has another week to remain standing—before it and a couple of dozen other orange-tagged aboreal Edgewood Park denizens get the axe. United Illuminating is clearing them as part of broader improvements to Westville’s electric grid. The 35 or so trees in the park were supposed to start coming down this week. City government’s top tree official, Christy Hass, who has to sign off on the tree removal, insisted waiting another week so she and UI have time to explain to wary neighbors that the trees are dead or dying—and that, in their view, the city makes out well in the deal. The above pictured treescape along Edgewood Avenue through the park will look dramatically different; Hass wanted people to hear about why before seeing it. “This is not clear-cut[ting],” she said Monday. Hass has been taking neighbors through the park to demonstrate the condition of the trees and describe the process by which decisions were made. UI has been upgrading its infrastructure throughout town. That has included decommissioning three old, outdated substations. The utility is currently decommissioning one in Fair Haven. Now comes the West Rock Avenue substation by the West River in Westville... 

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