Tuesday August 22, 2017 7:00 PM
Cullom Village Hall 119 N. Oak Street Cullom, IL 60929
Open with the Pledge of Allegiance
Minutes
Public
Maintenance Report
Attorney Report
Clerk Report
Treasurer Report
Old Business
* Engineering Bid Northside Business Sidewalk Project
* Ash Tree Removal Program
* Drain Maintenance
* Water Tower Inspection Report
* Ordinance Changes
– Building Permits
– Curfew Hours
New Business
* No new business
Any Other Business
Adjournment
Starting Monday August 14th
Portions of Maple and Hack Streets will be CLOSED due to repair of railroad tracks.
Any clean, used clothing and shoes can be deposited in the bins located on the east side of Cullom Community Market. Here is the certificate received for 2016.
The Village’s Brush and Branch Pickup program is truly a service to Cullom residents. It encourages each resident and building owner to pride themselves in the health, aesthetics and value of their own home, building, surrounding yard and landscape. It promotes the community’s desire to beautify our neighborhoods while maintaining safe and healthy surroundings.
UPDATE: The Village has conducted an informal survey. There appears to be approximately 120 Ash trees in Cullom, with approximately 80 on Village property. They will need to be removed in the near future.
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a beetle native to Asia, about the size of a grain of rice was first detected in Michigan in 2002 and has started to spread throughout the United States.
We do have EAB in Cullom. Within a few years all Ash trees in the village will be dead or dying. The village has developed a tree management program and all Ash trees on village property are on an established list to be removed and replaced with other species.
All sixteen native Ash species are susceptible to the EAB. An Ash tree can be recognized by the compound leaves which are arranged opposite of one another on the branches.
Homeowners will have to consider their own options, to protect or replace the trees on their own property. If you choose to protect them, the sooner you begin treating the tree with insecticides, the better. You will need to treat the tree over its lifetime. The Morton Arboretum has a website with more information: mortonarb.org/plantadvice
Symptoms and Signs
Sometimes damage to the tree may not be apparent for up to three years of infestation. The most obvious signs of an attack are dead limbs near the upper part of the tree. Woodpecker damage is sometimes apparent as they search for larvae and damage the bark of the trees.
The EAB eggs are laid between layers of bark. When they hatch the larvae bore into the tree where they feed on the inner bark creating “S”-shaped tunnels called galleries.
Adults begin to emerge through “D”-shaped exit holes and will remain active until the end of summer.
Homeowners should check their trees for infestations.
One of the hardest duties of the Village Board is writing ordinance violations. However, it has to be done. When making plans for 2017 the Board made this as one of the priorities that needed to be continued.
The main issues the Board is dealing with are unlicensed vehicles and unsightly, untidy and overgrown yards. So, at this time we are asking that you take a look around your own yard. Is it time to take some action to spruce things up a bit?
Violation notices will soon be going out. Please understand if you get one, you’re not the only one. Several notices are being given throughout the community. However, we do want you to take them seriously. We will pursue legal action for non-compliance. We ask that everyone do what is necessary to improve your neighborhood.
If you have an elderly neighbor that might need help, please offer your assistance. If you need help, let me know. There are students who need service hours that may be able to assist you and I will try and connect you with them.
It’s time to ‘Spring into Action’ to keep our Community looking good!
— Barbara Hahn
Written
on March 15, 2017