Riverwoods approves easements for Deerfield Road work and awards $82,252 tree-removal contract ahead of March construction deadlines

The Village of Riverwoods Board of Trustees voted to approve an agreement granting easements to Lake County tied to Deerfield Road/Federal Life construction work and separately approved a contract of $82,252 to remove trees needed for Saunders Road, the Federal Life project and tree hazards at Village Hall.

The easements approval formalizes multiple conveyances and temporary construction easements the county requested as part of road-widening and stormwater work related to the Federal Life development; village counsel told trustees the parcels together represented “approximately, 55 or $60,000” in total compensation before the board negotiated to waive most payments. The tree-removal contract, awarded to Clean-cut Tree Service Inc., covers four bid packages tied to Saunders Road, sections of the Federal Life work, and 16 hazardous trees on the Village Hall campus.

Village of Riverwoods Director of Community Services Michael Witt told trustees the tree work is critical to schedule-driven road and grading work: “Tree removal of the Federal Life Project, is necessary in order to allow the mass grading work to occur to fulfill not only our obligation under the IGA with the fire district, as well as to create the detention basin,” Witt said. He added that Saunders Road and the Federal Life work are linked to IDOT requirements and that the Saunders Road trees must be removed “no later than March 30.”

Why it matters: the easements and tree removal are prerequisites for federally funded roadway and stormwater improvements that the village says will stabilize the road network and create detention storage used by multiple public agencies. Trustees debated whether to delay recording conveyances if Deerfield Road funding or construction were to be cancelled; village counsel suggested holding off recording specific conveyances if needed and said many temporary easements “don’t harm us” if the larger project does not proceed.

Details of the county agreement and easements: village counsel described roughly eight or nine parcels implicated in the county arrangement, including 10-foot strips near CubeSmart and conveyances near Chicory Lane that will require moving an entry monument. The counsel said the village proposed waiving compensation on most parcels and seeking payment only for the one parcel where the village requested funds to move the monument and cover related appraisal costs. The counsel also said permanent conveyances were small slivers the village would not miss and that the county had asked for a five-year temporary easement across a village access parcel to facilitate grading and bike-path work.

Contract award and scope: the Clean-cut Tree Service contract (RFP 2025 CS-1) was the low bid of four firms. Witt said the work covers approximately 150 trees within the Saunders Road right of way to permit road reconstruction and drainage improvements, removal associated with the Federal Life grading and the 16 trees declared dangerous at Village Hall. Some work is expected to be reimbursable through the fire district or other project funding streams. Trustees were told the firm has prior large IDOT-related experience and positive references from engineers on the project.

Trustee questions and mitigation steps: Trustees asked whether staff minimized removals and whether invasive shrubs such as buckthorn would be removed. The resident village engineer and Witt said design constraints — including required clear zones, widened ditches and stormwater conveyance routes — necessitate many removals and that grading impacts root zones. Witt said any vegetation impacted by grading would be cleared; trustees asked about follow-up treatment and long-term maintenance of invasive species.

Votes and next steps: trustees approved the county easement resolution and the Clean-cut Tree Service contract by roll call and directed staff to continue negotiating timing and recording details for conveyances tied to Deerfield Road. Directors said they will coordinate with IDOT, Lake County and the fire district on reimbursement and on the March 30 schedule for tree removals.

The village also received recognition for earlier water-main emergency work: Gewalt Hamilton Associates and village staff were presented an APWA Lake Branch award for emergency repair work on a water main along Deerfield Road that restored service and protected dialysis services at a local care facility; Engineer Smith presented the award to Mayor Ford during the meeting.

The trustees did not specify exact parcel-by-parcel compensation amounts for all easements at the meeting and directed staff to return with recording recommendations and any necessary amendments if the Deerfield Road project’s funding status changed.