Neighbors of Gurnee man who bulldozed trees pleased with village response
Gurnee officials are getting high marks for the village's response to complaints about a man who used heavy machinery to clear trees from municipal land near his house without seeking permission.
Neighbors who were angry when they confronted the village board about the issue during a meeting in June returned Monday to thank officials for their help in addressing the matter.
"Last time we spoke a couple weeks ago, we came in here hot and heavy," Jim Eimerman told the board. "I'm very impressed by the response village had. I do want to give you credit where credit was due. I really think you stepped up to the plate."
In June, the debris was piled up around Derek Lidstrom's duplex on Blackstone Road. Lidstrom used a 47,000-pound Link-Belt excavator to tear up trees and vegetation along the creek near his house and around his property. He said he had wanted to clear the land for a long time and decided to do it without asking permission because sometimes getting permission to work in the flood plain on village-owned property along a creek can take a frustratingly long time.
After the public outcry, the village sent contract workers to clear the debris piles. Also, the excavator was removed from the land as part of a cease-and-desist the village issued June 15.
The village's response got good marks from neighbors.
Martin Peters, who lives down the street from Lidstrom, echoed Eimerman's praise and thanked the board. Peters said he wants to hear about the village's restoration plan for the now-barren land.
"At this point, this is our number one concern, obviously," he said. "We're looking forward to hearing from you as soon as possible."
In June, Mayor Kristina Kovarik promised to meet with the neighborhood and discuss what they would do with the land. Monday, she said that meeting will likely happen in August.
"Right now, staff is focused on some very major capital infrastructure projects that are kicking off, but they will come up with a restoration plan," Kovarik said. "Staff will get focused on it, they'll figure out what the best practices are for wetlands and for soil preservation and all that out there, and then we will present to the neighborhood."