WESTFIELD – City officials are seeking resident cooperation to complete debris removal work as winter quickly approaches.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik is requesting residents to drag debris, ripped down from trees during the freak Oct. 29 snowstorm, to the treebelt no later than Nov. 27.
Knapik, in a press statement released Tuesday, said that beginning on Monday, Nov. 28, the debris will collected on the same schedule as curbside rubbish collection.
“This will be the final sweep for debris on out city streets,” Knapik said in the prepared text. “Please remember to keep all of the debris on the edge of your property and do not block sidewalks or streets.”
Public Works Superintendent Jim Mulvenna said this morning that the department and hired contractors have been working for the past three weeks to remove the debris.
“During the last week of November, we’ll have trucks out in the same area as the rubbish trucks,” Mulvenna said. “So if your rubbish day is Tuesday, have the debris out on the treebelt Tuesday.
“We’re not going to be able to do this forever,” he said. “We’re in our third week. We’ve been lucky in that Mother Nature has cooperated, but at some point we’ll have to focus on snow removal. Thanksgiving is next week and anything can happen this time of year.”
Mulvenna said that the city and contractors have been hauling the debris to several locations, including the Public Works yard on Broad Street, Twiss Street compost station and a private sandpit on Russellville Road.
“We’re getting prices to grind that brush. The chips can be used for landscaping but are not very good for mulch because they take so long to decompose,” he said.
Residents can dispose of the brush and debris at the Twiss Street compost area which will be open on Wednesday, Nov. 23, Friday, Nov 25, and Saturday, Nov. 26, from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. The facility is closed Thanksgiving Day.
