Wow what a wonderful week out at the woodland garden it was a great break and a very good time to revitalize. A good thing too this is a busy week, This weekend we are seal coating the drives and parking lots. Well let me rephrase that we are doing part of the drives and parking lots it is actually a 3 week process. We need to shut down areas in phases so that we can continue to receive ambulances as well as patients and visitors. It runs pretty smoothly because of good planning and the fact that this is the 11th year that I am doing this. The bad part is giving up the weekends to get it done. We did 1/2 of the main lot and the emergency room drive yesterday as well as the employee lot across the street. Today we will be doing the 1/2 the main entrance drive. This is the tricky part as we must allow areas for the visitors and patients to still get in and out of the main entrance. It is a a matter of planning but somehow each year we get it done. Next weekend we will do the other 1/2 of the main lot, the emergency room drive and the main drive. That is of course if the weather cooperates.
This week we will also start the upgrade to the South Doctors Parking Lot landscape. This will bring us into compliance with the City Of Chicago Landscape Ordinance. We finally got our permits so work should start Monday. In order to plant parkway way trees it is necessary to get approval and a permit even though the ordinance now requires them. Seems simple enough but not really. First you must submit your plans to the zoning dept. Once your plan is approved there then it is time to take it to the Forestry Department for approval. Once forestry has reviewed it then approved it you need to go to CDOT. The Chicago Department Of Transportation. There you submit your plans and have to pay a fee to open the parkway. Currently the cost is $160.00 per hole in this case 14 times that as there are 14 trees being planted. There is also a fee to block parking along the sides of the street where work is being done. Finally you need to get a permit from the underground utilities management office and then you can plant your tree. Seems like a lot of work even before you dig your hole and it is.
On Tuesday the fall color pot plants will be arriving so I will be planting pansies, mums and flowering kale for the rest of the week while still overseeing the landscaper. Wow glad I had last week off.
Then next weekend back to seal coating!
