file photo by Boyd Loving
November 23 – E Notice – Leaves by the Numbers
Dear Neighbor,
I just wanted to provide you with a status of where we are with leaves at this point in the season. As of last Friday, we collected 20,295 yards or 58% of the total yardage typically collected for the entire season. Compared to last year at this time, we have collected 6,300 yards or 18% more. This is directly related to the heavy dropping of leaves we had about 1 ½ weeks ago after the rain storm.
As a result of the above, it has been taking us a little longer (about two extra days) to finish up in an area and begin the next area. In previous communications, I have mentioned that we have had some operational issues with the new contractor we are using in Area B – although we are still monitoring him closely, he has picked up double the amount at this point in the season than last year’s contractor. Another interesting factoid is that Area B is responsible for about 35% of the total leaves that have been picked up this season.
Net-net this makes collection more cumbersome for the present time, but bodes well for the remainder of the season as the bulk of the leaves are down or have been collected; therefore the last weeks of collection should be easier. Please bear with us, as we do our best to clean up as much volume as possible before the Thanksgiving holiday. As a reminder, we will be doing a last go through after your final collection date, weather permitting. For residents who like to bag their leaves, free bags are still available for pick up at the Recycling Center.
On to another topic: violations of the leaf collection policy. As you know, we listened to you last year when you reported that your biggest issue was neighbors placing leaves out on the street outside of the permitted schedule. This is just not a safety issue and a violation of our ordinance but it is also a violation of NJ State regulations that mandate leaves cannot be put out more than 7 days prior to the scheduled collection date.
As a result, this season we started active compliance monitoring of the various areas. I think I mentioned in an earlier E-Notice that we saw a large number of violations the first weeks of the season supporting the views that you have been sharing with me. On my own block, I witnessed leaves being placed in the street two days after the collection period! We made a decision not to write summonses at that point but to issue warnings. This was also due to the fact that this violation required an in court appearance, a burden we did not want to place on our residents.
Now that we are almost through the second cycle of leaf collection, we are issuing summonses and there will unfortunately be many of them. The only fortunate news is that the Court Administrator successfully petitioned to remove the requirement for an in-court appearance.
Ridgewood is a very leafy town – we collect between 32,000-35,000 yards of leaves across 95 miles of roads – a real challenge when coupled with the vagaries of weather. I would like to continue to hear your input on enforcement as well as any other suggestions that you may have for better service. Some of you may have seen our new claw which we just introduced and which seems to be working very well – we plan on adding a second one for next leaf season. Also next season, we will also be getting a new leaf vacuum that is significantly better than the ones we are using. We did a post mortem of last season and we will do one this season – we do bring your suggestions and thoughts to those forums.
Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving,
Roberta
The street sweeper did an excellent job on my street near Hawes school. thanks
A very leafy town…good god the waste of resources you people should be ashamed of yourselfs. never seen anything like it. ONLY IN NJ
My neighborhood had pickup number 2 on Saturday….I have no complaints thus far.
Um, Roberta, isn’t the whole point of a Court summons to inconvenience the offender? If they can just pay a fine and fuggid about it, how does that deter them from breaking the law in future? You don’t want to play by the leaf collection rules, then appear in-court to deal with the consequences of your action.
I had my leaves put out as scheduled for my area. The first pickup of the season in the neighborhood was Saturday or exactly 25-29 days late based on the original Village schedule. And you’re doing US a favor by suspending fines?
I am outraged
What does that suction thing do with all the other debris (pumpkins, tree parts) mixed in with all the leaves?
12:45, you’re making me laugh by saying the same thing every time.
They should bering the ( suction thing) to a council meeting a suck Al’s hair piece of his head.
to 12;45 ,you are so full of shit.
the crews are working around belair rd today , they did a great job. thanks leaf crews.
the village needs to replace workers that retired in the past ten years , the road department at one time had 28 workers, now they are down to 9, how the hell can they get the work done. we hired an outside contractor for the past two years now and they can’t even get the job done. so much for out sourcing work. what a big blow back. talk about a no savings on this. wake up mayor and council and stop listening to people that don’t know the job. talk to the workers who been on the job for a long time. I pay taxes for service. this was no savings in my book in my area of town, leaf (b).all this talk about out side venders is not good. now if any would like to know who has the biggest budgets well that would be the fully staff fire and police and board of ed. what I would like to know ware did the money go from all the retired workers, that’s a hell of a lot of money. I smell a scam.
thank you
mr chon
that’s not right. we are spending more in out sourcing then on village workers. what is wrong with the managers. this 1990,s thinking don’t work any more. this is not the new norm of doing business .
Time for a new photo. but you need to move on that because we are flipping workers every few weeks. no one is staying on the job for any long period of time because the new law only allows the workers to work for a short time, this job became a steeping stone for something better. they come and go so fast you don’t even remember there name. what a joke.and up don’t care, they look the other way. huh.
It seems to be working well. Weather has really helped.
Neighbor’s landscaper put leaves out teo days after our leaf pick up.
Ok 523. We could use 28 workers for a couple of months. The problem is your Union won’t allow the village to hire part timer? Do you expect the taxpayers to be on the hook for salaries, health benefits and pensions for workers that can be contracted out?
to 6;14 , my union, not, I’m done working. the village has put on manny part time workers this year,I don’t know who you are but I did do an opra request this past fall on employment in the village.and the village did hire 22 part time help. so get your info in order. watch what u say in life because u never know who u are talking to. the out sourcing and part time help is not working. union or not. they are part time help. just an old quote cheep labor get’s you low quality work. who is going to give you real good quality work for low salaries and absolutely no future in employment , the village pays the fire and police and top managers well and they get health benefits, just like out in the real world, so what are you talking about. the village workers do not get any end of the year perks like in the private work force.it sounds like you are in the managers side, not the back bone of the town work force. I thought so. I got hook line and sinker. my trap work’ed . very sad how you and some of the top think. and why would you care you are not a tax payer. I am so take a real good look at my side of town up in hillcrest for 44, years. I don’t mind paying taxes for quality workers. if the village is getting such a bargain in out sourcing my section of town and they saved me money , that’s great so what is my prorated in tax do we get, it’s zipo.. get the helll out of town you down ass. what is your name and rank in town , we need to talk .call me 201-857-4619,
you work at tito burritos?
ok mr 6[14 we will just hire more and more police and fire crew members. they are in the union, and they get benefits, and pensions. are you a jerk off or what. tell the cops and fire crews you don’t like unions. what are a ,mo,’/.=ther well you know.
they blew off pickup #2
Do we still pay the private contractor ?
8:49, your spewing more of your nonsense. Unskilled labor is just what the name implies, so as a taxpayer there is no reason to get on the hook for union inflated salaries and benefits and retirements when we need the labor for a month. Based on your postings, and your “grasp” of the English language, we could do better with some South American day laborers who ” no speaka da englisha” . Kay pasa? If you are retired maybe you should attend an “esl” class at bcc…just saying lol.
hahahaha, 5;18I love it. this is just righting on a wall. keep paying for work that’s not getting done. real smart, union none union day labor, what ever u like . all I know is we are paying for work to get done, and it,s not. real smart 5;18
I wonder who 5;18 is,hummmmmmmmmmmm,yeah and u are on at 5;18am wow we know it;s u bro.
the crews came by my home up on n, murray wednesday at 11am,and they did a great job.
what the hell is going on up in my sec of town , I ‘m in area B. what a mess. this better be the last year of an out side contractor doing leave . two years in a row this is not working. we need to go back to the village workers doing this. in 30, years we never had a problem with leaf pick up.