Lyons Mayor Chris Getty (left) and McCook Mayor Terry Carr shake hands in front of some of the 172 trees being planted along 47th Street between their communities. (Supplied photo)
Lyons, McCook mayors go green together
From staff reports
Lyons Mayor Chris Getty and McCook Mayor Terry Carr have organized the planting of 172 trees along 47th Street, which is the border of the two towns.
After successfully lobbying the State of Illinois to renovate a two-mile section of 47th Street from Harlem Avenue to Custer Avenue through their villages in 2021, the two mayors took the infrastructure project a step further and formed the Lyons & McCook Green Initiative to plant 172 trees.
“The trees will beautify this area and offer quality of life improvements for those who live, work, and traverse this stretch of roadway,” said Getty.
“We started discussions on the trees and beautification of 47th Street in early 2021 followed by the planning and competitive bidding process. This year all that was left to do was acquire and plant the trees,” he added.
“I think this project is a big win for everyone who uses 47th Street, as these trees will provide cleaner air and will help enhance this corridor,” said Carr.
The low bidder for the tree project was Copenhaver Construction of Gilberts, Ill.
McCook will plant 43 trees while Lyons opted for planting 129 trees.
The cost for the project was $166,800 with each village paying for its share of the trees.
Novotny Engineering was hired to administer and manage the project. Completion of the planting is set for June 1.
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