Glenville residents may continue to sweep leaves to the edge of their property for town pickup.
Efforts by Councilman Chris Koetzle have helped restore the service, which had been eliminated earlier this year, along with the bulk item pickup, for financial reasons.
Koetzle said he pushed to have the program reinstated after hearing many concerns and complaints from residents.
At the Glenville Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday, April 2, the board restored funds for this year’s bulk item pickup service, as well as money to pick up leftover leaves from last year and continue leaf pickup in fall.
The town is working with a waste hauler to finalize specific dates for the bulk pickup program.
We are hopeful to have bulk item pickup occur at the end of April, as has been done in the past. The Highway Department will begin picking up last year’s leftover leaves immediately, said Pubic Works Commissioner Richard LeClair.
Koetzle’s resolution to bring back bulk garbage and loose-leaf pickup was approved by a vote of 3-to-2.
The resolution will restore $67,000 in funds to pay for the programs.
`Residents across this town have been clear: They want these programs restored, and they want them restored now,` said Koetzle.
Koetzle said the 2007 loose-leaf pickup ended early last November due to an early winter and left $23,000 in unused money, which the board took from the Department of Public Works at the start of the new year.
`Half the town still has leaves on the streets from last fall. We need to restore that money and allow the Department of Public Works to do their job and pick up the leaves that have been there since last October,` said Koetzle.
He said an additional $34,000 is needed in the 2008 budget to continue the loose-leaf program in fall. He added that $9,900 is needed to restore the bulk garbage pickup program this spring. Both programs cost homeowners about $5 per year.“