Some storm cleanup remains

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Photo provided by Maura El Metennani, Village of Mount Prospect

The tub grinder, provided by Kramer Tree Specialists, turns a row of discarded tree material into a mound of chips.

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Photo provided by Maura El Metennani, Village of Mount Prospect

Mount Prospect Mayor Irvana Wilks and Public Works Director Glen Andler provide an update on the tree cleanup effort.

On the north end of Melas Park stands what the Mount Prospect public works staff has dubbed Mount Brushmore.

There are no faces of ex-presidents here, just the heads of logs poking between branches and leaves.

This is where trucks have been dumping the remains of dead and damaged trees from the Aug. 23 storm.

On Wednesday morning, trucks could be seen entering the site, which has been closed to the public. The trucks would back into the "mountain" of trees and dump their loads. Nearby, a grapple reached into the clutter, grabbing a clump of tree debris before dropping it into the revolving drum of a tub grinder provided by Kramer Tree Specialists at a rate of $475 per hour.

Soon, a parabola of wood chips poured onto a pile that accumulated like sands in an hourglass. Ultimately, the chips will be used for mulch.

This machine is capable of processing roughly 200 cubic yards of woody material per hour.

Also Wednesday morning, Mount Prospect Mayor Irvana Wilks, Public Works Director Glen Andler and Sandy Clark, the forestry-grounds superintendent, gathered before Mount Brushmore to update the village's cleanup efforts.

The village is in the process of a comprehensive brush pickup, which includes both trees that fell on private property and have been moved to the parkway and trees on public parkways.

As of Tuesday, about 75 percent of the village's streets has been picked up. Clark is hoping the job will be finished by Friday, although she said people are still lugging more material from their backyards to the parkways.

"Every time we think we're close to finishing a section, more piles come out," she said.

Even after the brush removal, Andler warned that the village still faces months of removals due to all the "hangers" -- broken branches that could fall and damage property or power lines.

The storm caused more tree damage in Mount Prospect than any other event in more than 30 years. As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Clark said, 258 parkway trees are scheduled for complete removal, while an estimated 50 to 70 more likely will be removed.

She said 2,550 trees, or roughly 10 percent of the village's public trees, are known to be damaged, with new reports daily.

Broken limbs have already been removed from more than 1,000 trees, 1,044 yards of wood chips and 228 yards of logs have been hauled out of town and 3,800 yards of brush and logs are waiting to be ground.

Clark said it could cost the village more than $120,000 to replant trees.

Since the storm, public works crews have been routinely working as much as 15 hours per day, Wilks said.

The Public Works Department has suspended many of its routine activities to supplement the work of forestry/grounds crews with workers from other divisions.

Also helping in the effort are crews from eight contractors and 10 other communities. Wilks said her brush was picked up by an Antioch crew.

"We really appreciate the work and support from other communities," she said. "Much has been done, but much still remains to be done."

It looks like Mount Prospect will have Mount Brushmore around for a while. Andler is estimating it will take as much as three weeks to grind up all the trees.

"We call ourselves Tree City U.S.A. and we have the wonderful Arbor Day ceremony every year," Wilks said. "It breaks our heart to see what has happened to our trees. I know it is heartbreaking for the residents too."

To follow the village's progress with brush pickup, visit www.mountprospect.org.

Barricades with signage are being placed in areas where brush removal has been completed. Once a section is posted, no more logs or brush should be placed on parkways and residents will need to follow regular guidelines listed on the village Web site. No brush or logs should be placed in streets.

Clark is advising residents who spot broken limbs to report them, beginning next week, to public works, which is compiling a list.