Residents Asked to Remove Planters in the Right-of-Way for Stump Removal

City of Cedar Rapids staff will start grinding right-of-way stumps on a large scale beginning Monday, May 17. This applies to stumps left behind after the removal of a street tree. The City requests that residents remove rocks, bricks, and stone planters, etc. from around the stumps as well as any ornamental plantings that the resident wants to keep.

This helps to ensure that workers have good, safe access and allows the stump to be flushed closer to grade level if needed. Paint markings and flags near the stump will indicate that the stump grinding crews will be arriving in the near future – within two weeks. Stumps will be ground out approximately 8 inches below grade; the waste material will be removed and the area will be restored with topsoil and seed. This process may be completed all at once or over the course of a few days, depending on weather and staffing.

Root balls, or uprooted stumps that were torn out of the ground, will be removed by the City’s contractor during curbside collection. Due to the high number of stumps left by the derecho this process is likely to take two summers and possibly a little longer.