A Tree That Succumbed to the Ice Storm on the Eastern Promenade Near Walnut Street on March 24th.

Director of the City’s Public Works Department Mike Murray at a Sweep an Encampment Site Last Year.  Previously, he was the city’s Liaison to Peaks Isalnd  and Following That the Gatekeeper to Former Mayor Michael Brennan’s City Hall Office.

The city of Portland’s Parks, Recreation and Facilities and Public Works crews, in coordination with private contractors, continue to cleanup from tree damage resulting from the last two storms – on March 24th and April 4th.

The ice storm on March 24th caused damage not seen since the ice storm of 1998.  The city received over 400 tree damage reports and many of these were large trees or limbs that each took a day or more to remove.  There are thousands of unreported limbs and branches that came down in the public right of way that need to be collected.

The city’s focus remains on hazards and some brush will remain on the roadside and in the parks until hazards have been addressed.  Crews have made progress on cleaning up brush and branches, but there is still at least a month of work to do before all debris is removed from the right of way.

The storm on April 4th complicated matters and will set the city back another week or so on cleanup efforts as the city had to recommission all of its winter equipment that was being used for tree cleanup to move back into winter operations and snow removal.  Once that is completed, the city will recomission equipmet for debris cleanup.=

“Residents can assist in the effort by taking their own debris to Riverside Recycling where it can be processed,” said Ethan Hipple, the city’s Parks, Recreation & Facilities Department Director.  “We ask that you not add to the problem by dragging private debris out to the street as our small and dedicaed group of city workers already have a lot on their plate.”