Major work done, but cleanup ongoing

The city of Pueblo has submitted a $50,000 insurance claim for cleanup from the March windstorm that swept through the area in March, said Mike Sexton, the assistant director of the Pueblo Parks and Recreation department.

"That is turned over to our insurance, and they evaluate if they're going to reimburse us," Sexton said on Tuesday.

Most of the city's cleanup from the March 13 windstorm was clearing legacy trees that were toppled by the gusts.

Sexton said over 60 trees were uprooted and fell in the city's parks. Most of the damage occurred between City Park, Mineral Palace Park and the Mountain View Cemetery.

The Pueblo Ice Arena marquee that had been standing since 1981 also was a casualty of the high winds, which knocked it over.

About 20 employees from the parks and recreation department were involved with the storm cleanup.

Though the most significant cleanup work has been completed, Sexton said crews still are working to remove tree stumps from the parks.

The county has filed a notice of claim with County Technical Service Inc. — a service organization for county governments in Colorado that provides insurance and other services — for wind and rain damage to property.

The county so far has only received an invoice for the expense of tree removal at the courthouse, as some trees outside the building were toppled by wind. The cost of that emergency work is close to $5,500. Cost estimates for all other damages are pending.

According to the notice of claim filing, damage at county properties includes the district attorney's office, Dennis Maes Judicial Building, Desert Hawk Golf Course and Runyon Field.

The trees that fell in the city's parks were removed and turned into mulch, which is currently available to the public.

Anyone who wants some of the mulch can get it at the north end of City Park, near the skate park.

"Pull up and help yourself," Sexton said. "We don't want contractors showing up and filling up big dump trucks; it's for residential home use."

Residents who had dead trees and limbs following the storm have been able to dispose of them for free at Rockworx Inc., 195 Vision Lane. The trees collected there are scheduled to be mulched at a later date.

rseverance@chieftain.com

Twitter: @RyanS_Chieftain