In recent months, the Long Island Rail Road has been cutting down overgrown trees and bushes overhanging the railroad along a strip of track from Cherry Valley Avenue to Nassau Boulevard.

The wide-open gap the cleanup program has left as a result, however, has local residents gravely concerned.

"Unfortunately in doing that they cleared a lot of area that left wide open gaps on the north side of the railroad along that stretch," Trustee Robert Rothschild said.

He publicly praised staff, particularly Village Administrator Robert Schoelle and Department of Public Works Director Robert Mangan, for their immediate response to the dangerous situation.

"When I say immediate I say within hours they were on sight because we all know that that is a very dangerous situation after what has happened there in recent past," Trustee Rothschild continued.

Within days, the village planted 200 trees and bushes, which were bid in a competitive process, along the open stretch. Schoelle found the money in the village's budget and is currently asking the LIRR for reimbursement in the amount of $11,800.

Trustee Rothschild warned that there are still some open areas remaining along the strip and he believes there's a continued need for some form of fencing in addition to the newly planted shrubs.

"Based on very negative experiences by other communities, we were fortunate in having that pre-knowledge and we worked with the railroad and had Parks Department individuals on site working and looking over the shoulder essentially of the Long Island Rail Road contractors ... It turned out to be a very positive effort," Schoelle said, adding that Garden City officially requested that the LIRR also install a chain-link fence along the stretch.

Schoelle remains optimistic the village will receive full reimbursement although he couldn't provide a timeline in which the village would get its money back.