Ash Trees

One day last fall, I was driving down South Grove and came to the stop sign at the pedestrian crossing at DuPage Court, and was shocked at what I saw. The view up or down the court that I'd admired for years, the site I looked at every time I went by, the court where I loved to sit in the shade on warm summer days, was decimated.  The ash trees were all taken down.  No warning whatsoever.  The city had not even mentioned it on their website until after the fact.

They had fallen prey to the emerald ash borer, the scourge of ash trees in the Midwest.

The court, and these trees, were remnants of the ill-fated attempt to turn Downtown Elgin into a mall to stave off the flight of businesses to Spring Hill Mall in Dundee.  When Grove was reopened, the city wisely left the court.  It became a wonderful oasis in the middle of the Center City area.  Shady, breezy, and quiet it was.  Al's Cafe had utilized the part in front of the restaurant as outdoor cafe seating in the summer, and it was a great place to eat on a nice day.  The benches and planters provided plenty of places to sit around and kill some time.  Except having to battle for space with that certain element that camped out on the benches to take a nap, it was a great place to be.

Now, no more.  Whatever trees they plan to put in as replacement, it won't be mature growth, and it won't be as comfortable.

From the city's website:

Posted on: October 27, 2011

[ACTIVE] Emerald Ash Borer Infestation in DuPage Courtyard

This spring, all the ash trees in the DuPage court yard became severely infested with EAB, Emerald Ash Borer. The trees did succumb to the infestation and required removal.

The main tree removals began October 20th. The stumps are now being excavated. The stump excavation will take approximately 2 weeks. Care must be taken not to damage the existing planters while the stump removal is taking place. A hydro excavator is being utilized to remove the soil from the root balls. This is a loud and slow process. The equipment will begin each morning by 8 am and will end by 10:00 to minimize the impact on adjacent businesses. After the soil is removed from the root ball, a loader will be utilized to lift the root ball mass from the planters. The stump removals are anticipated to be completed by November 11.

Upon removal of the root ball, planter bed soil will be added to the planters in anticipation of installing plant material in the spring of 2012.

The design of the planters will be based upon available funding.

There's that catch phrase "based upon available funding".

Sad remnant!

BASTARD!