Lake Zurich wants cut trees replaced by Ela Township

Lake Zurich village officials said Monday night Ela Township violated village ordinance when it clear cut 112 trees from a five acre property where the township plans to build its new town hall/office and from adjacent Knox Park.

Ninety-four trees on the property at 1155 East Route 22, where the new township offices will be located, were supposed to be saved, per a village-approved tree preservation plan submitted by the township.

Yet 85 of those 94 trees were removed last week by the township contractor. An additional 27 trees in the township's Knox Park, that were not part of the construction project site, also were clear cut, said Dan Peterson, Lake Zurich director of building and zoning. Most of the removed trees were black walnuts, cherry, Osage orange, silver maple and some buckthorn.

Peterson said Ela Township justified the act by saying the trees were older, dying or diseased and had to be removed because they did not fit with the township's new landscape plan.

"We are not sure which were dead or not because they were removed before we went out there," Peterson said. "They should have contacted the village arborist before tree removal, which did not happen."

By the time the village arborist was on site, only stumps were left.

A few area residents were outraged by the township's disregard for the aesthetic value of the property.

"The trees weren't dead," said Mari Kay Spiwak, who lives at 1155 Cedar Creek Drive, backing up to the township's construction site. "In the winter, the beauty the trees gave was unbelievable, but so were the bird life. There appeared to be no one in charge and no regard for saving anything. It was a clear cut. Somebody has to be responsible that's allegedly running the project."

Peterson said the quality of the trees could not be determined after the fact. Lake Zurich's ordinance requires a tree inventory on any project site to determine the caliber, size and health of trees before removal. Peterson said per the requirements of the village ordinance the township must replace 281 trees at a cost of roughly $350 per tree.

He said after meeting with township officials Monday they agreed to revise the projects' landscape plan and include in it the replacement trees. No township officials were present at the meeting Monday night.

The township's revised landscape plan is expected later this week. Lake Zurich officials said they would follow through and make the township correct the situation.

"It's a very regrettable situation that certain procedures weren't followed," Lake Zurich Mayor John Tolomei said.