Ribbons On Hinsdale Trees Upset Some Residents

HINSDALE, IL — Hinsdale officials want a policy to deal with ribbons on trees, which have been the subject of complaints by a vocal group of residents, the village president said Tuesday.

For the last several years, residents have been putting up ribbons to mark the deaths of neighbors and family members, Village President Tom Cauley said at a Village Board meeting. This shows that Hinsdale is a close-knit community that mourns the deaths of its residents, he said.

But he said the problem is the ribbons aren't taken down. They are on trees in the village's parkways, often known as rights-of-way.

"Sometimes the ribbons are up for months and months. They become discolored. Sometimes they fall off of the trees. Sometimes there are three or four ribbons on the same tree. At some point, it becomes unsightly," Cauley said.

He said the vocal group of residents is "tenacious" with its complaints, counting the days that ribbons have been up. He estimated he has received 600 emails from the group about the issue.

Rather than enact an ordinance, Cauley recommended a "softer approach" such as a policy to let residents know they have the responsibility of taking down ribbons they put up. He proposed the policy require residents to remove the ribbons within 30 days. The word about the policy could be spread to local churches and schools, he said.

"I'd rather not have public works removing ribbons because they have a lot of other work to do," Cauley said. "At some point, we may have to do it."

Trustee Neale Byrnes said the policy could state that after 30 days, public works would take them down. Public works could remove the ribbons in an afternoon, costing about $150, much cheaper than the snow removal of the last few days, he said.

Cauley said he would rather the policy not communicate that public works is the default for taking down ribbons. He noted the policy would state that the village has the right to remove the ribbons at any time.

"I want the onus to be on residents to take them down," he said. "We all know that if they are not taken down and people don't follow the rule, we will have public works take them down. But I don't want that to be part of the communication."

Trustee Matthew Posthuma warned the village to be careful with the policy. In the past, he said, the village has spoken with grieving residents about ribbons and the result was "very harmful."

"It's not really nice to someone going through a hard time," Posthuma said. "I would really hesitate calling up someone who has lost a loved one and have them take a ribbon down."

Agreeing, Cauley said part of the problem was that the village had no policy on ribbons. With a policy, he said, no one can feel that the village was being arbitrary.

"If we have this policy, I see no reason why we have to contact anyone. If they are not taken down, the village has the right to take them down," he said. "This is the path forward to accommodate everyone's interests, and I think this is the best way to do that."