‘Volatile’ ash trees removed at Chapman Park

Posted 7/6/22

Prison water tower getting worked on by Lane Tank Sooner or later, the Ash Borer will eat itself out of a food source. Before that happens though, the ash tree will be driven to near function …

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‘Volatile’ ash trees removed at Chapman Park

Posted

Prison water tower getting worked on by Lane Tank

Sooner or later, the Ash Borer will eat itself out of a food source. Before that happens though, the ash tree will be driven to near function extinction.

Insofar as this happens in places inhabited by humans, the dead and dying limbs of the ash species pose a considerable insurance risk—and that’s where this story picks up, as public works operator in charge John Hoel filled in the Council on work to mitigate the ash tree hazard and resulting insurance fallout.

"On June 30th we removed four large ash trees from Chapman Park,” Hoel wrote the Council in his most recent bimonthly report. “Two of these trees dropped large sections without having excessive winds. This is no doubt due to the ash borer. With the SCA having music in the park on June 30th and the upcoming festivities this holiday weekend with the large amount of people expected to attend, we removed these trees to avoid the possibility of injuries or worse,” Hoel wrote. Contacting Joe Karlen

See ASH BORER, page 6 ASH BORER

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and crew for ash tree removal, Hoel shared that the ash tree hazard, remained volatile.

“The ash trees in the parks and throughout the city are becoming very volatile and will need to be removed very soon,” Hoel wrote. With Todd Chwala completing an ash tree assessment for the city, Hoel wrote that the tree removal project would soon be going out for bids. Once down, the wood of auected ash trees must be burned, to control the spread of emerald ash borer larvae, and help prevent more dead trees.

Also shared in department reports for the past two weeks was the news from water operator Don Goettl that Lane Tank had started work on the prison water tower, currently empty.

“Lane Tank started the Prison tower work this week,” Goettl wrote the Council June 29. “While the tank is empty, I plan on hav- ing the recirculating pump lines replaced. The lines are over 20 years old, and their galvanized pipe, and showing corrosion and wear.” As such, Goettl said he was getting a quote from Lane Tank on replacement, from one “Matt.”

“I also told him we should replace the piping on the clean out valve at the bottom of the bowl of the tank, it’s very rusted ” Goettl wrote of the water tower maintenance. “Now’s the time to do it.”

Finishing out department reports for the present were Nick Martin and Dean Schneider from the Wastewater Department. Completed in the last two weeks as of June 30 were "normal plant operations, TSS testing on industries and influent and ewuent," and continued optimization to meet state phosphorous limits, set at 0.075. In addi tion, Martin reported that adjustments had been made to the wasting levels to maintain biological phosphorous removal, industrial billing was done, and sludge had been pressed, the sludge press an integral part of meeting state waste expectations after overloading the reed beds previously.