Power/Utility Line Clearing in Fox Point:
We Energies has informed the Village Forester and Director of Public Works that their contractor (Asplundh) will begin power/utility line clearing north of Bradley Road. The work is scheduled to begin the middle of October 2021 and is expected to be completed by January 1, 2022. While power/utility line clearing was planned to occur in areas of the North Shore in the future, this work is being accelerated in light of the August windstorm that knocked out power to many residents in the Village and the metro area. Power/utility line clearing south of Bradley Road is anticipated to be done in 2022. Residents within the currently planned area will soon receive letters from We Energies with more detailed information on the clearing activities including contact information for We Energies and Asplundh.
The scope of work for Asplundh is to simply perform line clearing; that is, they will mainly be removing portions of the canopy within approximately 10 feet of the power lines. In some cases, such as in the case of an already dead ash, they will likely remove the upper portion of the tree to below the power line. Removal of the remainder of the tree is the property owner’s responsibility.
Most, if not all, of the brush material removed from the power lines will not be removed from the property; rather, it will be placed on the ground and the property owner will have to manage the removal of the brush material. In some cases, the brush material can be placed out for yard waste collection by DPW staff. While Village Code Section 310, Article II, provides that ash and elm tree material “shall be disposed of by the owner outside Village limits,” Village staff have discussed the importance of the line clearing project and will allow property owners to place the brush from the line clearing operations out for collection. Please note that any ash, elm or other diseased wood placed out for collection is limited to that related to the line clearing operations and must be less than 6-inches in diameter. Additionally, all brush should be placed roadside separate from any leaf piles that will be placed out for collection.