As this week's rainfall has knocked many leaves off of trees, Lexington leaders Tuesday got a briefing on this year's leaf collection efforts. As in past years, vacuum trucks will roll through Lexington neighborhoods. Streets and Roads Director Rob Allen says a new interactive map is now available so residents can know when to expect leaf pickups. "Citizens will now know their subzone in a more accurate start time for collection, so the leaves don't sit on the grass, kill the grass, turn to mud, blow in their neighbors yard," said Allen.
With last year's harsh winter, crews were pulled from leaf collection to clear roads. This fall, streets and roads workers are scheduled to work longer hours and weekends. Division of Water Quality Director Charlie Martin says the goal is to get the job done by the end of the year. "By Christmas we need to be done with it by then and that is to me the driving force of everything we're trying to accomplish this year," said Martin.
Martin says a private firm will pick up leaves for about a quarter of the service area. Council Member Kevin Stinnett wonders about maintaining city-funded leaf collection. "What a bigger waste of energy than using fuel power to go out there and pick up a natural resource that can be mulched or put into compost bins," said Stinnett.
The leaf collection program costs about 300 thousand dollars to operate. ?
