Glen Ellyn wants to reopen Manor Woods

Crews will work to remove brush and debris from trails in a village-owned wooded area in Glen Ellyn that has been closed to the public for more than a year.

“No trespassing” signs are currently posted around Manor Woods, a 17-acre property bounded by Illinois Street and Brandon, Greenfield and Newton avenues. But village officials say they want to reopen the area’s trails — now covered by dead trees, logs and stumps — so residents can use them again.

“Manor Woods is an asset to the community,” Interim Village Manager Terry Burghard said at a village board meeting Monday. “Right now it’s a liability. We’re going to give it a good run and I think we can return it to a useful piece of propert..”

Starting later this month or in early April, work to create a “safe zone” on Manor Woods trails will begin, and cleared brush would be dispersed throughout the wooded area. The village has awarded a contract to Bedrock Earthscapes for $6,400 for the cleanup, in addition to a $2,000 contingency in additional work the village deems necessary.

That’s a significant savings, said Village Manager Mark Pfefferman, since cleanup was estimated to cost as much as $25,000 when the village board began discussing the issue last summer.

He said the goal is for the “no trespassing” signs to come down after crews go in and begin clearing debris.

In November, the village began seeking bids for the path cleanup after hearing from residents who wanted the paths reopened.

But re-establishing the paths could take another two or three years as the village determines how much funding is available and examines drainage issues on site, Burghard said.

The village’s public works department is now putting together a long-term plan for Manor Woods that will provide cost estimates for recreating the trails. It’s likely wood chips would be used as they were in the mid-1990s, according to the village.

Trustee Carl Henninger said neighbors previously helped make and maintain the paths, and thinks they will want to get involved in restoring them.

“There’s enough interest in this that those resources could be marshaled by a new generation,” Henninger said. “There are lots of young families that are anxious to have their kids be able to use it.”