A total of 11,300 yards of brush resulting from the April 4-7 ice storms was recently removed from Oxford Township parks and cemeteries for a grand total of $41,100, according to Supervisor Bill Dunn.
The largest amount of debris was at Seymour Lake Park as township residents deposited approximately 9,000 yards of tree limbs, branches and trunks from their yards at the designated drop-off site next to the tennis courts.
It cost the township $8,500 to have the Orion-based Environmental Wood Solutions, owned by Larry Mullins, turn the giant brush pile into wood chips on Monday, Dunn said.
In order to get the job at Seymour Lake Park finished in a single day, Parks Director Ron Davis said it was necessary to close the facility to the public.
Davis said he received some phone calls from residents angered by the park closing. He apologized to residents for any inconvenience to them, but asked them to understand that it was done to save the township and taxpayers money and get the job done faster.
Dunn said it would have cost more money if the clean-up had to be stretched over a two-day period.
A total of 1,100 yards of brush was also chipped and hauled away from Stony Lake Park by Environmental Wood Solutions at a cost of $5,500, which included trimming the damaged trees, Dunn said.
Davis said the initial estimate for the Stony Lake Park clean-up was about $30,000, but Mullins offered to do it for about sixth of that total.
‘I can’t thank Larry enough,? Davis said.
The parks director noted that residents should also thank Mullin for his company’s work because ‘without him, (Stony Lake Park) would still be closed.?
The township also spent $4,500 to have a total of 1,200 yards of brush chipped and hauled away from its three cemeteries, Dunn said.
The supervisor said it cost $19,100 to have the cemeteries? damaged trees trimmed and $3,500 to have a landscaping company rake, gather and pile the brush to ready it for chipping, he added.
As to where the $41,100 spent on brush clean-up is going to come from, Dunn said, ‘We’ll reallocate money from other line-items in the budget.?