The Wittenberg Village Board gave approval Sept. 3 for Hoekstra Logging to clear out trees from the community’s former dump to make room for a future dog park.
Board member Theresa Gatz, one of the people spearheading the project, said she looked into several companies and individuals to determine who would be best suited to remove trees, but most of the people she has contacted have either expressed they were not interested in doing the work or did not reply at all.
“There’s no monetary value in the trees out there,” Gatz said. “They’re scrub trees.”
Hoekstra Logging is based in the Town of Wittenberg, specializing in logging and the forestry industry. According to Mapquest, Hoekstra has a focus on sustainable practices.
Gatz said Hoekstra would agree to remove the trees for about $5,000. She contacted officials with the company a few days before the meeting, and they gave their proposal to her over the Labor Day weekend.
“They understand there’s no monetary value,” Gatz said. “They would go in. They would cut. They would get everything put into a pile for what we need.”
Gatz added the potential is there to remove stumps with an excavator and grind them up, if needed.
Only trees along the perimeter are being removed, according to Gatz. The trees in the center of the former dump site will remain in place, she said.
“It needs to be thinned out and cleaned up, but we’re not going to remove all the trees out there,” Gatz said.
Hoekstra would be able to do the work within two weeks, she said.
Board member David Timm noted that the original plan was to hire volunteers to log the trees and questioned why that plan didn’t stick, but Gatz and Village Clerk Traci Matsche noted it would take six months for volunteers to cut down the trees.
“Everybody works full time,” Gatz said. “We couldn’t do anything in the last two weeks because of the heat.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
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