CHICAGO — The tree outside Maurie Richie’s Northwest Side home was dying. He called the city and his alderman’s office to request its trimming or removal.
But more than two years later, no one had come out to address the problem.
Increasingly frustrated, Richie called WGN Investigates for help. A day after the WGN News story aired last month , the city showed up at Richie’s home to remove the tree from the parkway.
“Thanks to the WGN Investigative team, it got the attention it desperately needed,” said Richie.
While Richie’s issue is resolved, plenty of Chicagoans are still left waiting.
Previous Story: Homeowner waits years for City of Chicago tree trim service
“I’m not here to make excuses but sometimes things get away and we are here to address it,” said Cole Stallard, commissioner of the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation. “When we fail in the administration side and that story comes out, I feel for the people out here actually doing the job.”
Stallard said the city has changed how it responds to tree trimming requests. It now operates on a so-called area or grid system, where it focuses on trees in a specific neighborhood, then moves on to the next.