Politics & Government

DPW Director: Leaf Collection is 'Moving Along'

A number of factors play into how the department determines its routes.

Leaf pickup in Scotch Plains began on Oct. 26, but in some parts of town the piles on the streets just keep getting larger. This has left some residents wondering: when is public works going to make it to my neighborhood?

Public Works Director Kevin Ward acknowledged to Patch that both he and town manager Chris Marion have been fielding dozens of phone calls lately from residents asking this very question. Ward spoke recently about where the project stands, and said that despite a few setbacks, his team is moving right along on its mission.

“Under the circumstances, it’s going well,” Ward said. “We’ve been out since the 26th every day, even in heavy rain. We’re a little short-staffed, which we’re working our way through, and we’re about a week behind from our usual routine. Now we are on the final stage of our first pass, and we will keep picking up leaves until significant snowfall or plowing is necessary.”

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Public works is currently working in two zones right now. On Friday, Nov. 13, one crew was set to work on the north side of town, north of Mountain Avenue and Plainfield Avenue, and on the other side of Route 22. A second crew was on the  south side of town in the area between Wood Road and Hetfield Avenue near Brookside Park, and in a small section between Wood Road and Inverness Drive.

Ward said a number of factors play into how public works determines its routes. The first pass through town is fairly methodical, and follows a specific route. The second pass-through is a little more discretionary, and can depend on factors like those mentioned below. A third pass-through may also be done if necessary.

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 Schools are naturally a top priority, he said, because of the sight lines for motorists and children. Crews typically work around there at midday to avoid morning and afternoon traffic. Ward said that if crews have moved on to other areas, but the traffic division indicates that the schools need another pass-through, his crew will break off its route and go back.

Parking issues also come into play. Public works tries to target streets where parking is most difficult because of the leaf pileup.

“When landscapers show up, they tend to show up in mass, so what happens is when you look down the road, every curbline is piled with leaves and parking does become an issue,” he said. “Other streets are a little more random in terms of parking availability. It’s not easy. You have to go out and physically look to access and target these things.”

Weather has played a large role in why there are so many leaves out right now. In the past few years, Ward said, leaf drop started a little later than usual. This fall has been very traditional, he said, with most of the leaves already on the ground.

“The second pass should take care of the bulk of this,” he said. “The past five years we’d make three passes because of the staggered nature of the leaf drop. We should be ending the first round by this time next week, and starting up the second pass soon.” 

Another reason for confusion this year is the fact that public works has regrouped some of its routes.

“We’ve had traditional routes in the fall, and there’s some that were mixed or put into a different order to make it more efficient for the crew,” Ward said. “We’ve had a few folks who are surprised because they usually expect us a particular week on their street because annually it’s rather organized.”

Ward said his department has a general idea of how many weeks it takes to complete leaf collection, but that occasionally factors do get in the way, such as equipment breaking down, staff members calling in sick, or severe weather conditions.

“The only time leaf collection is interrupted by snowfall is if we have to switch over to plowing,” he said. “Even though we have been working through the weather, at the same time if we have a severe wind storm… A couple of years ago we had to go out and do tree work.”

Ward said he’s updating the town manager daily on his team’s progress, and is also working to help explain the process to residents who are calling.

“We're moving along considering that staffing’s a little low,” he said. “This is a different year for government and the people we serve.”

 


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