By Staff
NILES - Today until 11:45 a.m., the Niles Street Department will once again be loading wood mulch into trucks and trailers free of charge for area residents. The mulch pile is located at the Street Department garage property, 1815 Eagle St. directly behind Ring Lardner Middle School.
Two front-end loaders with operators will be available to do the loading.
Residents wishing to load the mulch into their own containers or vehicles are welcome to do so during these same hours. The mulch, which provides a rustic and decorative appearance for gardens, planting areas and pathways, is the end product of the Street Department's very popular brush chipping program.
The mulch is available to the public throughout the year, Monday thru Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents are normally required to load containers themselves.
The City of Niles reserves the right to limit quantities.
Leaf collection program
Due to the snowfall in early December, the City of Niles Street Department was unable to fully complete the leaf collection program. As a result, the Niles Street Department will make one more complete trip around the city beginning Monday, April 3.
Crews will work 10 hour days to complete the work, beginning in the First Ward, then traveling to the Second, Third and Fourth Wards. Only clean leaves will be picked up. If leaves are mixed with brush, limbs, trash and other debris they will NOT BE PICKED UP. ONLY ONE PASS will be completed. It is expected that the work will be completed in one week or less, so the program will move along very quickly. Residents should keep the following rules in mind:
Rake leaves to the back of the curb and not onto the pavement;
Only clean leaves will be picked up. Leaves mixed with brush, limbs, trash, ashes, or other debris will not be picked up;
Leaves must be raked out in advance of the pickers. Leaves raked out afterwards will not be picked up;
Please move your vehicles to off-street locations when the crews are in your neighborhood. This makes the process of getting the leaves into the street and to the leaf vacuum quicker and easier. Cars parked in the street slow the collection process down significantly and force the crews to leave piles of leaves behind that can not be reached with the equipment;
Please do not cover the water meters in the boulevard area. This prevents meter readers from taking actual readings and requires them to estimate your water usage.
Residents are urged to not rake leaves out to the edge of pavement until the weekend of April 1 and 2. Should you not be able to rake your leaves out in time to be picked up by the City, you may dispose of them at the Southeast Berrien County Landfill, 1540 Mayflower Rd., Buchanan.
BRUSH CHIPPING PROGRAM
RESUMES FOR THE SEASON
The City of Niles offers a free limb and brush chipping program to its residents during the period of late March through early October. Please keep the following rules in mind:
Pickup is scheduled for the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month.
Residents must call the Department of Public Works (683-4700, ext. 208) by no later than noon on the Friday just prior to the scheduled pickup day.
Residents should place limbs and brush out for pick up as close to the scheduled pick up day as possible.
Material must be placed at the curb or edge of roadway by no later than 7 a.m. on the scheduled pickup day, with the cut ends facing toward the street whenever possible.
Material must be easily handled by one man.
Vines, leaves, limbs and brush with dirt attached, rose and other thorn bushes, lawn and flower clippings, and limbs with wire or nails will not be picked up.
The City of Niles reserves the right to limit or reject the material to be picked up due to size, quantity, or type.
The program is not intended for tree topping or removal that would normally be handled by a tree removal contractor.
Do not cover the water meter lid in the boulevard. This limits the meter reader's access to our meter which may cause readings to be estimated.
The maximum amount of brush to be picked up per location per list is the bulk (pre-chipped) amount that will fit into a single dump truck.
Residents are requested to use good judgment when placing limbs and brush out for pick up. Very large piles have a tendency to slow the program down, delaying the pickup for others on the list.
Please be patient with the program. As long as you are on the list and have abided by the above rules, your items will be picked up. If you are on the list but your limbs or brush are not picked up on the first day of the pickup, please do not become upset or concerned.
Keep in mind that this program is extremely popular, with the pickup list many times surpassing 100 locations. Because of this, the Street Department sometimes must work several days in order to complete the pickup.
It is recommended that you place your brush out at the street just prior to the scheduled pickup starting date. Placing the brush out several days in advance may cause grass in the boulevard to become yellow or die.