By Sue Moore
The beauty of trees in the Village of Vicksburg, only means falling leaves for the Department of Public Works (DPW). Scheduled leaf pick-up in November was scrubbed due to an early winter snowstorm, Ken Schippers, village manager, told the village council.
There won’t be quite as many leaves next year as 17 large and imposing maples on the main thoroughfares of the village have been cut down by AEP, the local power company. Schippers said he has received numerous calls on why so many trees have to be cut. “They are dead on the inside and under 7200 volt power lines,” he tells people when they call. “When a storm comes through it often means heavy damage from partially dead trees falling over the lines. AEP is trying to correct any problems they might have in the future. The power company has promised to replace all 17 trees at nearly $300 a pop and I’ll hold them to it.”
Schippers still plans to pick up leaves that are piled in the roadway, but not until the recent snow melts. He wants to remind everyone that the main roads get plowed first, then secondary, then plats, and finally the sidewalks, as time allows.