# Department of Streets & Sanitation's Construction Season Kickoff 4.22.26

- Date: April 22, 2026
- Type: Video
- Length: 13:37
- Topic: Events
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd8lr-DJoWk)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 1,270 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/Fd8lr-DJoWk.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Department of Streets & Sanitation's Construction Season Kickoff event.

## Transcript

[0:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=7) Watch the curve. The alderman hasn't replaced this one yet. So. We're ready? Yes, we are. All right. Good morning, everybody. Good morning. Oh, this is a nice sound system, too. We might, this might have to stay in the 49th Ward, Mr. Mayor, before you go. So, good morning, everybody. Good morning. Maria Haddon, alderwoman here in the 49th Ward. Thank you for joining us on celebrating the great works of infrastructure that the city of Chicago is doing.

[0:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=40) And, of course, Earth Day. Earth Day. As the chairwoman of our committee on environmental protection and energy is my great honor, along with my team who are in the audience over there, to support the work of Mayor Johnson and his administration and, of course, of the entire city of Chicago in moving us forward on environmental protections and making sure that we have a Chicago that is here, that is with clean air, clean water, clean soil,

[1:13](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=73) and here for generations to come. We're here in the fantastic neighborhood of Rogers Park. I know, Mayor, you talk about how great the city of Chicago is. Rogers Park is one of our many great neighborhoods. I'm not going to try and compete as the best, but I know that we're up there, at least in the top ten. I think we're in the top 10. Environmental sustainability, environmental justice, and of course, dealing with our trees, our parks, our green spaces, supporting our pollinators.

[1:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=105) These are all high priorities for myself, residents of the 49th Ward, and I'm so proud of so many of our community efforts and the work of our streets and sanitation department. our great ward suit, Adam Wozniacki, and the entire support of the Streets and Sanitation Department that helps to make the 49th Ward, I think, an exemplary model of how green, supportive, and clean the entire city of Chicago aspires to be. So I want to thank you, Mayor Johnson, for supporting these efforts,

[2:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=137) for leading the way on sustainability and green initiatives, and, of course, for joining us here in Rogers Park, for getting our hands a little dirty. I think we get to do some work. So thank you so much for being here, and I'll pass it over to you. Thank you so much, Chairwoman Haddon. It's great to be in the 49th Ward. Thank you for your leadership and to your team as well. So is it still morning? Yes. Good morning, everyone.

[2:48](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=168) The city of Chicago's construction season kickoff continues here at Tui Park, and we're all grateful for the collection of city residents that are joining us on this great Earth Day. Earlier today, I celebrated the Public Building Commission's kickoff to construction season, along with the Department of Buildings and Malcolm X College. We did this at Malcolm X College West Campuses soon to be opened Community Center for Learning and Teaching. Yesterday, we kicked off this season with CTA on the rail station and bus stop improvements.

[3:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=205) And Monday, we kicked this off with CDOT with their incredible work around streetscape improvement and traffic safety upgrade work. With the launch of the Department of Streets and Sanitation's construction season, marked by street sweeping, lot cleaning, tree trimming, road and control, graffiti removal, and other critical services as needed. You know, streets and sanitation has one of those positions where it's not just a job description, but you know how they end a job description with an additional things that need to get done as needed.

[4:04](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=244) That's our Streets and Sanitation Division. And so thank you to our Commissioner Stoller for your leadership and the entire team. And, of course, as we celebrate Arbor Day and the Department of Streets and Sanitation's continued efforts to nurture, plant, and expand our city's tree canopy. Arbor Day is a national holiday that promotes tree planting and it aligns with the city's climate goals. Access to trees provides so many benefits for residents' and families' health and the sustainability of our communities. On Chicago's south and west sides, unfortunately, a disproportionate lack of tree cover

[4:41](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=281) leaves our communities vulnerable to extreme heat, bringing dangerous heat-related illness as well as a higher utility cost, as well as potentially extreme flooding. And that's why, unfortunately, in some of our neighborhoods that have less than 5% tree can coverage, the efforts through our city's Our Roots Chicago program, we are building safer and healthier neighborhoods by investing in a more equitable tree canopy across our city.

[5:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=312) We have a goal to plant 75,000 trees with a focus on the neighborhoods that lack the tree canopy. And so far, we have planted more than 69,000 trees, with 34,500 of them planted in our priority community areas you know it's our trees that beautify our communities and instilling community pride and studies have shown that they are another asset that contributes to safer

[5:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=345) communities and with just 6,000 more trees to go we expect to reach our goal by the end of this year in addition to planting trees the DSS Bureau of Forestry has met its goal of trimming 90,000 trees annually as part of the area trimming initiative. And then last week, the Bureau of Forestry reached an incredible milestone, trimming the seven, I'm sorry, the 270,000th

[6:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=380) tree since the program's inception. So together, these efforts put Chicago on a map and of course, on a path to a more equitable, robust, and healthy urban tree canopy that provides numerous benefits to residents and communities. But the work is not done once we reach our milestone at 75,000 trees. As we move forward, we will build on our efforts to provide a robust tree canopy and invest in sustainable and healthy neighborhoods.

[6:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=412) I'm grateful to celebrate Arbor Day with our partners today, with whom many of them deserve thanks. So thank you to our tree ambassador program with the Morton Arboretum for their commitment. Open Lands, which has trained more than 2,000 Chicagoans to be stewards of trees. And, of course, the Chicago Urban Forestry Advisory Board, which ensures the city has coordinated an efficient approach to urban forestry.

[7:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=443) Let's give all of these entities a round of applause. And so together, as we continue to work with our partners, these programs play an important role in helping Chicagoans, along with these advocates, to be strong advocates and stewards for trees in their neighborhoods. In addition to celebrating Arbor Day with all of you, I will mark Earth Day today with partners in communities across Chicago, solidifying my administration's commitment to investing in environmental justice and equitable green economy.

[7:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=475) Again, thank you to Cole Stallard, thank you to Angela Tovar, thank you to our Deputy Mayor Lori Lipson, and thank you to all of the workers who ensure that this great work occurs. And so your teams have demonstrated an incredible commitment to climate justice and the investment in our communities. And so with that, I am proud to offer up this proclamation in celebration of Arbor Day and encourage Chicagoans everywhere to appreciate and help preserve our urban forests.

[8:26](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=506) Thank you.

[9:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=562) All right, we're going to go right here. One, two, three. Any other cameras? Just going one more here. Right here. Just a sec. We're going to get one more. Okay. All right, one, two, three. Y'all look beautiful. We got one more coming. We got one more coming. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Right here. Hold that for me. Hold that. Hold that.

[9:54](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk?t=594) There we go. One, two, three, three. Thank you. Thank you all.

Sources and methods: [how we get and count this data](/about#methods) · [report an error](/about#corrections)

---
Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Fd8lr-DJoWk · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt