The Northwestern University-City Committee addressed complaints about trucks misidentified as Ryan Field construction vehicles and discussed assisting students with furniture disposal at its meeting Wednesday.
NU’s Ryan Field rebuild has drawn criticism from Evanston community members for the past year, more recently regarding trucks that transport construction debris out of the city. In addition to causing traffic and tracking dust, residents have spotted rocks piling above truck beds, raising safety concerns, Ald. Clare Kelly (1st) said.
Evanston landlord Tina Payton believes the loose rocks caused one of her windows to break, she said during public comment.
Though the number of NU trucks has significantly decreased in the past few weeks because the excavation stage is nearing completion, Deputy City Manager Carina Sanchez said she is still receiving photos of uncovered truck beds. While NU may have initially been at fault, the school is continuing to take the blame for trucks that aren’t part of the Ryan Field project, she said.
“A few months ago, we did take a tour (of the construction site), and we saw the process they go through. There isn’t a truck that doesn’t leave the site without getting watered down, and the workers are making sure that the trucks are covered,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez saw some of the uncovered trucks a couple of weeks ago and followed them to their destination — Foster School, she said. She confirmed with the project manager that the Foster School project’s trucks are using the same route approved for NU.
Sanchez said trucks can only utilize certain streets, but a designated construction route was approved for the Ryan Field project because a higher overpass was needed. Though the trucks now following the route are mostly from the Foster School project, residents might incorrectly identify them as NU’s vehicles.
“I know it’s hard, but if you can see the windshield, those trucks that are related to the Ryan Field project will have a purple sticker in the front,” Sanchez said. “I just want to make sure that when I go and complain, I am complaining and bringing this to the attention of the right project management.”
NU has addressed all the concerns Sanchez has relayed, she said. This includes offering free car washes to residents as a response to the dust from construction.
After moving through other items on the agenda with no major updates, Payton brought a new issue to the committee’s attention. When NU students move out of their off-campus housing, she said, they dump their furniture in alleyways or on other people’s properties.
“They don’t care. They leave town, and then other students dumpster dive, and they bring that furniture into other residences, (then) you have rats and bed bugs,” Payton said.
Payton said this doesn’t just happen during Spring Quarter. She suggested educating students on move-ins and move-outs. However, she recognized that many students know they should call for a special pickup, but they don’t want to pay for removal.
Right now, it’s the tenant against the landlord against the city, Payton said. She hopes NU and Evanston can collaborate to create a better relationship between students, landlords, the city and the school, she said. If that is in place, resources can be distributed more easily, she said.
“It’s very special when you have students — they’re wonderful. We love them,” Kelly said. “But there is a whole set of circumstances that are a little bit different than just a general rental, move-in and move-out, it’s one of those characteristics.”
Kelly said she liked the idea and that the committee should move to have those conversations.
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