After reports of numerous falls on the broken sidewalk in front of 2845 Bainbridge Ave., including one of an elderly woman who died there last year, Steven Bussell, vice president of the 52nd Precinct Community Council, was hitting brick walls in his attempts to get the sidewalk repaired. But a call to a local lawmaker kicked the project into gear.

The sidewalk had been uprooted by two large trees in front of the property. “Half the people would walk in the street to walk around the trees,” said Bussell.

A 42-year resident of the neighborhood, Bussell has been on the Five-Two Council for 18 years, having worked with various agencies to resolve the problem.  “It would never get done because they said they didn’t have the money. It was put on the back burner,” he said. “Then I thought, ‘let’s try [Councilman] Ritchie Torres.’”

Juan Antigua, Torres’ Deputy Chief of Staff, knew first-hand about the hazardous situation, living near the uprooted sidewalk. “Our local constituent was fed up and contacted our office,” said Antigua. “The councilman took it into his own hands.”

Torres reached out to DOT as well as the Department of Parks to determine the status of the repair request and was told it was on a list. After further inquiries, the request was moved up. Five weeks after contacting Torres’ office, Bussell received word from a neighbor in the last week of August that the sidewalk was being repaired.

Repairing sidewalks damaged by uprooted trees is a complex procedure. According to city law, home and property owners are responsible for repair and maintenance of sidewalks abutting their property. However, it is illegal to remove a city-owned tree. Property owners must first obtain a Tree Work Permit via 311. The Department of Parks’ Borough Forestry Office then reviews all proposed site work and designs a plan that meets the Tree Protection Protocol for all affected city trees. Repairs are made based on the severity of damage and the availability of funding. If a homeowner wants to repair the sidewalk themselves, they must schedule a Sidewalk Design Consultation with the Parks Department, who will guide the contractor on how to proceed.  A DOT permit costing $15 is also required to perform the sidewalk repair.

Miguel Rodriguez has lived at 2845 Bainbridge Ave. for a decade and saw someone trip at least once a week in the past few years. “Most of the newly planted trees are going to experience this,” he said of the trees planted throughout the city this past winter through the Million Trees NYC initiative of the Parks Department and the New York Restoration Project. “The city is going to have to invest if they don’t want to have this issue.”

But Bussell was relieved to finally see action taken. “I’m so excited to finally see something go right after working on it for so long,” he said.