Bolingbrook Mayor Says Replacing Village Ash Trees Will Be Long, Slow Process

At the State of Village Luncheon, Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar provided business leaders and local residents with an update on the Village’s emerald ash borer experience.

Claar said there are 30,000 ash trees in Bolingbrook. Of that total, he said 20,000 sit on private property. And 10,000 sit on public property, meaning the Village is responsible for taking care of the trees.

“They all may have to go,” Claar said. “The sad part is that is a lot of money.”

He said he anticipated the sale of two apartment complexes—River Run and Innsbrook—would generate about $600,000 and lead to a Village budget surplus, but that didn’t materialize because “about half a million went out the door” for tree care and removal in 2013.

“We’ve taken down 700 trees,” Claar said.

More will come down in 2014. He said the replacement process will be “long and slow” and will be done as the Village budget allows.

“It costs about $150 to $200 a unit to replace a tree, isn’t that right?” Claar said questioning one of the members of the public works department during his address at the Bolingbrook Golf Club.

Then, he smiled and added, “How about a hundred and a quarter? We’ll do lunch.”

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