Photo by Marney Simon | Enterprise Staff
Residents in Grande Park want something done about the unsightly stumps left behind as ash trees are removed from the area. A representative of the HOA came to the village board this month, concerned that voices of the residents were not being heard.
The residents in Grande Park said that they were getting the runaround when calling up the village regarding dead ash trees. The village is in the middle of a program to remove trees killed by the emerald ash borer, an effort that the village said should conclude by 2018.
By Marney Simon | Enterprise Staff
When the emerald ash borer flew into the Midwest, it left a large path of destruction in its wake. Mainly, the ash trees that were once common on local parkways, which proved to be a tasty treat for the pests.
The pests have destroyed thousands of trees throughout Illinois, leaving municipalities to get rid of the trees as they rotted from the inside out and became dangerous.
Earlier this month, Kathy Crawford, a representative of the Home Owners Association in the Grande Park subdivision, asked the members of the village board in Plainfield to step up to address the mess left behind by the process to remove those dead and dying trees.
Crawford said that in her subdivision, 199 dead trees along the boulevard and on the islands had been removed, but fewer in the parkways. Crawford said that by the annexation agreement with the village, the responsibility of removing those parkway trees falls on the village.
But, she noted, it’s been a battle with the village, with only a handful of parkway trees removed, and stumps left without replacement in other areas.
Plans to replace ash trees killed off by the pests began back in 2014. Crawford said that despite numerous conversations and emails, there is no resolution. She also said that the HOA at Grande Park is seeing little progress when it comes to dealing with the village on the issue.
“We fear that these trees will remain this way,” Crawford said.
But a bigger issue, Crawford said, is a lack of communication with the city’s public works department. Crawford said that residents were getting the runaround, sending questions to the village but being sent back to the HOA for answers.
“In addition, the public works department gives really misleading information to our residents who contact them to discuss their concerns and requesting their action,” Crawford said. “Some village representatives tell our residents that these trees are the association’s responsibility, sending them to the association manager for a resolution. Inconsistent messages create really big frustration and resentment for the Grande Park residents… We have been patient and just want reassurance that these trees will be replaced.”
Crawford acknowledged that there have been a handful of meetings with the village, however, said she wanted to bring the attention to the full board.
“I want to assure you, we will meet with the group and we’ll report back to the board,” said Director of Public Works Allen Persons.
So far, 4,500 ash trees have been removed village wide, and about 2,700 replaced so far. Persons said the village hopes to have the majority of those trees replaced within the next two years.