NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 28, 1998

TOWN ANNOUNCES STORM DEBRIS CLEAN-UP PLANS

CARY, NC -- The holiday ice storm may have ended, but the real clean up is just beginning as Cary officials make plans to dispose of the massive amount of storm debris next week. Town crews worked throughout the holiday weekend to make roads passable. Now the focus is on collecting the debris left along the roadsides as well as what fell at private homes and businesses.

Crews will begin collecting the debris from public streets and rights-of-way this week. As they move through Town, they will note the addressees of private property with debris. Citizens needing storm debris pick-up can also call the Town at 469-4090 to have their addresses added to the database.

Once the information is obtained, debris addresses will be plotted in the Town’s Geographic Information System, and staff will generate maps of the problem areas. These maps will become the routes that Town crews will use as they work over the coming weeks to clear Cary of the storm debris.

Citizens with storm debris are asked to prepare the debris for collection as follows:

• trees and limbs less than six inches in diameter should be cut to lengths of three to four feet and placed at the curb;
• trees and limbs six inches in diameter or greater should be cut to two foot lengths and also placed at the curb;
• the Town will not collect stumps of any size or type.

"We really appreciate all the support and cooperation we’ve gotten from Cary citizens thus far," said Public Works and Utilities Director Kim Fisher. "Folks have been extremely helpful in letting us know about problem areas around Town, and we need for them to keep working with us until everything is back to normal."

Unfortunately, storm debris is just one of three solid waste disposal issues being dealt with in Cary. The others--regular yard waste and Christmas tree pick-up--are also being handled in the next two weeks. Because of the holiday storm and the Town’s holiday work schedule, regular yard waste will be collected on January 4^th, the first time in about three weeks. In addition, Christmas tree pick-up will begin on January 9^th.

Town officials want citizens to understand that the three types of debris--storm debris, yard waste, and Christmas trees—will have different destinations once collected. Therefore, the Town cannot simply gather all three types from the curb at one time, and citizens need to take care not to mix the three types of waste at the curb.

"We really need for everyone to make three separate piles at the curb," said Fisher. "Each one of the three types of waste has different uses for the Town, or it goes to different places based on the most economical and environmental solutions we can find." As an example, Fisher pointed out that Christmas trees, once chipped, are used effectively at Cary parks and greenways.

Fisher estimates that the various types of debris collection will occur throughout the month of January. Anyone with questions of concerns should contact the Public Works and Utilities department at 460-4090.

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PRIMARY CONTACTS: Kim Fisher, PWUT Director, 469-4092
Bill Coleman, Town Manager, 469-4002
Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, 460-4951

www.townofcary.org