The Brighton City Council has approved a contract with a company to do tree trimming work during the 2020 season, primarily on the city’s southwest side.

According to City Manager Nate Geinzer, that’s the side of town which has the most mature trees that need trimming and other work. Brighton has been a Tree City USA community for 17 years, and is required to perform regular maintenance work on its trees in order to retain that designation. Geinzer says last July’s storm caused major power outages and storm-related damage in the city, much of it due to trees falling or branches splitting off. Some streets and sidewalks were blocked while DPW crews removed the obstructions. As a result, the city had to spend $51,000 out of a tight budget to repair the damage.

While the DPW has a lift truck that can be used for some tree trimming, much of the work that needs to be done requires more than either DPW personnel have the training or proper equipment for. That has resulted in the necessity of hiring a private firm for the work. DPW Director Marcel Goch told council the city has only performed tree trimming work three times in the last 10 years, and as a result has gotten behind, with many trees overdue for trimming and other work.

The city put the trimming work out to bid on Jan. 7th, selecting Dukes Tree Service of Gregory with a bid of $21,610. Geinzer and Goch urged council to begin an annual tree maintenance program. A survey determined there are about 550 trees that need major trimming work done. Goch says the city’s main concern is the safety of its residents. He says the city doesn’t want any trees to come tumbling down on either pedestrians or people in their cars and result in injuries. (TT)