Village Calls on Residents to Help Restore Manor Woods

Interim Village Manager Terrance Burghard seemed pleased to announce the village does have plans to clean up Manor Woods this year.

At the end of November last year, the village solicited bids from tree care companies for the Manor Woods Path Safety Project. Establishing a "safe zone" is a major part of the project, which includes removing dead trees and clearing the paths of dead wood, ground cover, brush and logs and stumps.

"Manor Woods, in my mind, is an asset to the community," Burghard said, and called the current condition of the woods a liability.

Burghard did stress that the proposals did not include establishing paths. In a memo from Interim Public Works Director Jeff Perrigo to Burghard, Perrigo said that due to the "wet and boggy" location that is primarily made up of a peat composition, the village is limited in its choices of path coverage materials.

Burghard told the board that he was going to give the go ahead to start the approval process for Bedrock Earthscapes, a Wheaton company, to do the work. Bedrock Earthscapes submitted a proposal of $6,400 to do the work, which was $3,600 less than the second lowest bidder.

In his memo to Burghard, Perrigo suggested adding a contingency of $2,000 to give the Public Works Department some room in case additional work arises that the department feels is necessary to complete. 

Trustee Carl Henninger told the board that he thought nearby residents would assist in the cleanup efforts and with the installations of paths, so the woods would be safe for residents to use again.

Trustee Peter Ladesic added that it was important for the village to continue upkeep of the woods after the work is done so that the work doesn't get ahead of the village again. 

The Public Works Department will dip into the village's general fund for tree trimming to find money for the project.

The department is still contemplating a long-term vision for Manor Woods. Perrigo said in his memo he would attempt to provide the board with a signed agreement with Bedrock Earthscapes within the next two weeks. The company said it can start the project as soon as this month.