Community Corner

Town Moving Forward With Debris Pick-Up; FEMA Funding Imminent

Officials said they don't expect approval for funding before Friday, but are moving forward with plans to hold a curbside pick-up designed to help residents.

There has been a slight delay in the approval of a presidential declaration that would waive the 72-hour period for FEMA assistance to towns, but that hasn’t stopped Southington from pushing forward with cleanup efforts designed to help residents recover from the storm.

The town is moving forward with plans that will provide curbside pick-up, even without the funding approved just yet, Garry Brumback said Tuesday. The goal is to have pick-up begin next week, with three passes through the community.

“I am working with (Deputy Town Manager) Mark Sciota to see if we can accelerate our own bidding process and make this cleanup work available to some of our local businesses. I will do this provided it does not put our FEMA reimbursement at risk,” Brumback said.

The town had been told by U.S. Rep. John Larson that reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency appears imminent. In order to receive approval, recommendations must be approved in a declaration signed by President Barack Obama.

State municipalities received good news last week when allowing for approval of a 75 percent reimbursement to towns. The original declaration allowed for the reimbursement over a 72-hour period only and the latest declaration, which would waive that time period, is pending a FEMA assessment conducted Monday and Tuesday.

Brumback said Tuesday that the presidential declaration of a “Major Disaster” is pending the results of the assessment and it now appears “that would be approved Friday at the earliest.”

In the meantime, the town is moving forward with negotiations and planning to get the curbside pick-up efforts started next week. He said residents should put their debris, starting with vegetative debris only, within 15 feet of the road but be cautious not to put it directly roadside or on sidewalks.

The town would use the following guidelines if approved, according to Brumback:

Three collection passes are scheduled to be made:

From the 1st to the 14th day after commencement, a first pass will be made in your neighborhood.

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The debris collected will include vegetative debris only.

A second pass will be made from the 14th to the 30th day after commencement. The debris collected will include large and small vegetative debris only. This pass will be more thorough.

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A third pass will take place between the 30th and the 45th day after commencement. All eligible material will be collected for final inspection by Town representatives.

As you are preparing to place your debris for pick up, please adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Do not place any debris on top of utilities (cable, phone, electrical, or storm drain boxes).
  • Please do not block your mail box with the debris.
  • Please try not to block the roadways with debris piles, emergency vehicles may need to enter and exit your area.
  • Please drive carefully and slowly in areas with large debris piles.
  • Please do not dump any debris into storm drains or ditches as this will cause flooding.
  • Tree lengths should not exceed 10 feet.
  • Please help by sweeping up loose debris from the road in front of your house and bagging the debris for collection.
  • Report damages that occur during collections to AshBritt hotline, to be provided upon execution.
  • Report drainage problems to the town by calling (860) 276-6231.

Brumback warns that these are just preliminary guidelines as the program has not been approved yet.

Residents are welcomed and encouraged to use the Bulky Waste Transfer Station on Old Turnpike Road. The station is open daily this week, including Saturday, from 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. and has already taken in over 2,000 vehicle loads of debris.


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