NORTH PARK — As the city readies its snowplow fleet for another wintry blast this weekend, some Chicagoans would rather see street sweepers — not because they're dreaming of spring but because their curbs are choked with leaves.
An unusually warm fall had trees shedding their leaves into December, but street-sweeping ended before Thanksgiving, and some areas of Chicago had their last sweep in late October.
Residents in neighborhoods like North Park, among the leafiest in the city, shared images of leaf-clogged streets and sewer drains before last weekend's snow hit, of particular concern in the flood-prone community.
Anne Sheahan, spokeswoman for the Department of Streets and Sanitation, acknowledged that the balmy fall was "a different season for us" and "something we've been talking about internally."
There are a finite number of sweepers, which are deployed on a complex schedule across the city's 50 wards between April and November, she said.
Residents can request extra sweeps via 311 or online, but areas that are consistently problematic should be brought to an alderman's attention for consultation with the ward's superintendent, Sheahan said.
Though Streets & San conducts maintenance on the sweepers over the winter, some are available for service if needed, she said.
"We actually can, if there's an issue, send sweepers out," she said.
That's only if the weather cooperates, she added.
"It's not too late from an operational standpoint" to sweep, but "it's too late from a nature standpoint," Sheahan said.
"Some of those leaves might be frozen to the ground," she said.
A rogue 50-degree day between now and the start of sweeping in April could provide a window of opportunity to get machines on the streets, Sheahan said.
Sweepers will be out before April, she added, making passes along streets that have been identified as trouble spots.
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