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CHICAGO (CBS) — We’ve reported on tales throughout the town of 311 requests being marked accomplished earlier than the job was performed – from trash clear up to an deserted automobile.
Now, as CBS 2’s Tim McNicholas reported, a South Side alderman says the identical factor has been taking place in his ward with tree-trimming requests.
“These are the ones that keep falling off,” stated Selene Arroyo as she confirmed us branches on a tree.
And Arroyo is aware of cash doesn’t develop on bushes.
“I can’t spend my savings on unnecessary things,” she stated.
She stated the tree at 56th Street and Hoyne Avenue in West Englewood is costing her cash.
“I have called several times because the branches keep falling,” Arroyo stated. “They’ve actually broken two of my windshields already, and an antenna.”
Records from 311 present a June 10 tree-trimming request at Arroyo’s deal with. In November, the request was marked “completed” in 311, however she stated nobody ever trimmed the tree.
In truth, a metropolis employee even famous “no tree.”
Arroyo needs that had been true.
“Once, we were walking from over here and a big branch fell right next to my son. He’s a 4-year-old,” Arroyo stated. “That branch could have fallen on my son’s head and… God knows.”
Ald. Raymond Lopez (fifteenth) stated it’s a drawback throughout his ward.
As to getting the bushes trimmed, he stated: “We’ve tried working with the Department of Forestry. That’s not something we have direct control over.”
But he stated metropolis employees are marking “no tree” or “no such address” on tree-trimming requests and shifting on.
“Saying a tree doesn’t exist, saying an address doesn’t exist, is a disservice to the city of Chicago,” Lopez stated. “It’s dishonest and it’s, you’re lying to the taxpayers on the product you’re providing.”
He pointed to different examples in his ward in West Englewood and Back of the Yards, together with forty ninth Street and Hoyne Avenue, forty sixth and Wood streets, 57th and Wood streets, and fiftieth Street and Seeley Avenue.
All of these bushes have limbs hanging over the property. Yet in mid-November, the town marked every tree-trimming request “completed” with the notice “no tree.”
Ald. Lopez stated he discovered about 30 requests up to now few months that in his eyes had been inappropriately marked accomplished.
“We’ve seen time and again through various reports – including your own – where things are just being closed out at random throughout the city of Chicago,” Lopez stated, “and I think for some bureaucrats, it’s easier just to close them off and see who complains next and start the cycle all over again.”
A metropolis spokesperson instructed us employees sometimes solely do the work if the deal with listed in 311 is the precise deal with the place the tree trunk is – no matter whether or not the branches are hanging, or falling, onto the listed deal with.
“How could they just – they just ignore us?” Arroyo stated. “They just say no tree and that’s it?”
The 311 request for the tree that’s inflicting issues for Arroyo lists her deal with. But the trunk is technically in entrance of a vacant, boarded-up home subsequent door.
Many of the opposite requests we discovered have bushes hanging over the listed deal with, however the trunk can be truly subsequent door.
“Common sense should tell them there’s a tree right here, especially when you send resources to come out and verify that,” Lopez stated.
A metropolis spokesperson acknowledged they need to be getting clarification, and so they’re engaged on methods to do this sooner or later. Maybe then, the roles will get performed – for actual this time.
The metropolis additionally factors out that the pandemic and a big storm have stored them busy during the last 12 months. They say they are going to be working with Lopez’s ward superintendent sooner or later to nail down the precise addresses in query on 311 complaints.
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