OAKMONT, Pa. (KDKA) — An Oakmont homeowner is frustrated because he says the Shade Tree Commission won’t do anything about a tree he says has become a safety hazard.

For years, owner Mark Hunkele said he has been trying to get the tree trimmed or cut down. He even offered to pay the bill.

“I think the safety of the people should be the biggest concern and not the safety of the tree,” Hunkele said.

It’s directly across the street from Hunkele’s rental property on California Avenue in Oakmont. It’s a beautiful tree, but Hunkele says the shade it provides isn’t worth the risk.

“I think anyone walking out there is at risk because a storm or anything like that, the branches could interact with the utility lines and the power could run down the tree in the rain and it could either electrocute and seriously injure anyone walking along there,” Hunkele said.

Some power lines run through the tree while others hang low, attached to the trunk. Hunkele is an aerospace and electrical engineer, so he understands the dangers.

“And the other concern is fire, that type of voltage could cause a fire if the branches interacted with the lines,” Hunkele said.

Hunkele purchased the house in 2021. Shortly after, he says he contacted the Shade Tree Commission.

In April 2022, he submitted a tree service request form to the Borough of Oakmont. He checked off the low branches and visibility risks and requested that the tree be cut down or removed.

Fast forward, more than two years later, Hunkele submitted another tree service request form, asking for the same thing.

“They finally responded and said they wouldn’t take any action,” Hunkele said.

“I offered to remove the tree myself, cut it down at my own expense and have a new tree planted, a smaller tree, and they wouldn’t let me do that either.”

The director of the Shade Tree Commission, who is a certified arborist, responded Monday afternoon. Brian Crooks says Duquesne Light is responsible for trimming trees to clear the lines and the utility company plans to do that next year.

The commission director also told KDKA-TV that only the three tallest wires are power lines and they are not engulfed by the tree.