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photo by Steve VanGunda
Miss-Lou Landscaping employee Scotty Floyd watches as fellow employee Danny Craft cuts through a fallen tree with a chainsaw at Duncan Park Golf Course Thursday afternoon.
City begins clean-up of debris
Published Friday, September 19, 2008
NATCHEZ — The limbs and branches left in Gustav’s wake are on schedule to become a thing of the past.
On Thursday Public Works Director Eric Smith said the city will begin debris removal on Monday or Tuesday.
“It’s a big job,” he said.
And to aid Public Works in that job other city departments will contribute their employees.
Smith said workers form Natchez Water Works and the recreation department will assist Public Works in the clean-up effort.
Approximately 20 workers will stay on the south side of Natchez and work across the city, Smith said.
To guarantee that all storm debris is removed, crews will be armed with city maps and will highlight each street as it’s cleaned.
Smith said residents can help work crews by moving their debris out to the sidewalk since city workers cannot go on private property to collect debris.
“In no way will be able to go on private property,” he said.
Smith added that if residents are disposing of debris like tree branches, they should be cut into small pieces so that heavy equipment can gather the pile easily.
“We can do it in one scoop and be done with it,” he said.
And while the city is planning to start their clean up, the effort within the county is already well under way.
Adams County Supervisor S.E. “Spanky” Felter said the county began its debris removal approximately two days after the storm passed.
Felter said many of the county’s roads were blocked with downed trees and the county’s road crew had to go to work immediately.
“We could not wait,” he said. “We had to get moving.”
And next week the county’s effort should start moving a little faster.
Board President Henry Watts said the county recently purchased a grappling truck to quicken the debris removal. Watts described the truck as having an arm, with a claw-like loader, that drops debris into its own truck.
The new machine was purchased for just over $100,000.
And like the city, county workers cannot go on private property to remove debris. Debris should be cut into 10 foot lengths and moved to the sidewalk Watts said.
“We’ll come by and pick it up,” he said.
And though there has been no official word yet both city and county officials are waiting for the area do be declared a disaster area to qualify for state and federal reimbursements.
Until that day comes Watts said the county will be keeping a thorough record of all its storm related expenditures.
“We’re keeping our receipts,” he said.
Comments
Posted by NatchezBell (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 5:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Isn't that what we pay taxes for? I can't cut a 10 foot chunk of tree; much less...move it to the curb. HELLO The City and County need to help us help ourselves.
What happened to the good ole days where the whole town got together and did things like that as a group that cared for their town.
Posted by justthefactsman (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 6:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Natchezbell we don't have people in Natchez like that anymore. Now all Natchez has is people that mooch and live off of the system.
Posted by 3on23 (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 7:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
justhefacts, please don't label all of Natchez like that. There are many of us who still go out and work and then come home and help out our neighbors.
Posted by humorme (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 10:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How about the guy that walks Melrose Ave every morning and picks up the trash from 61south all the way to Ratclif ave? That guy is a great neighbor! Don't know who you are but thanks buddy.
Posted by pbnj (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 10:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There are still hard working people in Natchez. Spare time is hard to come by so yes the city helping with debris is nice. Thanks.
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
it's been three weeks
I know it's a big job
but it's about time the city and county got to work on this cleanup
most folks had their limbs and trees cut and piled within two days after the storm
I don't understand why it has taken this long --TO GET STARTED!!!!
I do know this- when the big drainage ditch that drains all of the residential area East of Sgt S Prentiss just Southof, or between Tracetown and Parkway Baptist, every drop of rain that falls along that stretch of SGt S Prentiss and the frontage road runs to the St Cath Creek downhill and into the drainage ditch behind my house. When that ditch fills up with weeds and debris, me and my neighbors have to TELL the city & Public Works to get down there and clean it up. We shouldn't have to do that, the grass cutting crew does do a good job cutting the grass, but those boys ought to be able to SEE what else needs done and just go ahead and make plans to do it, WITHOUT citizens having to raise hell and tell them to do what needs to be done. Trees that need cutting are there in PLAIN SIGHT, and the public works crew is not blind, or else they should be FIRED, and just go ahead and cut trees so they won't fall and crush peoples fences or houses or cars and plug drainage.
Cleanup after big storms is nothing new and should be dealt with as an ordinary occurrence in my opinion.
Posted by natchez500 (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 11:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
acedog why don't you prove your statement and turn him in to the attorney generals office. what i remember is sheriff brown begging to let prisoners come one private property and help us. you must be thinking of the the ferrells that use to take prisoners to lake st john and the hunting camp to clean and do things for them. If you make statements like that, don't be here without your name I also donot ever remember in my life time a prisoner picking up paper on the side of road or cutting grass or painting a building like the sunshine shelter until brown was sheriff and i donot see him doing it illelgal. he states he likes to see the working and as a voter i also like to see my tax dollars at work instead of us feeding and housing them while in jail
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on September 19, 2008 at 11:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So the county bought a $100,000 machine for debris removal. Since I am a city resident and a county taxpayer, when can I expect to see the machine in my neighborhoo?
Oh, that's right, it is a county machine. Well, maybe I should not be paying county taxes!! huh!
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on September 19, 2008 at 11:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
neighborhood not heigborhoo
Posted by theduke (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 12:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I can't understand why the City of Natchez expects elderly people to have limbs neatly cut up in neat little piles. They left one limb in my Mama's yard because it was longer than the standard lenght. Vidaila has almost whole trees at their curb that will be put in the chipper.
As for my yard in Vidalia they have been gone since last week.
Posted by oldsaw (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
After Katrina we didn't have this problem. Was Jake not paying attention?
Posted by donna (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 1:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
a while back, it was said that prisoners would help the elderly with trees and other damage done by the hurricane and then the state said that could not be done in this situation. so can prisoner at least be used to help the city crew and county crew pick up what is brought to the side of the road? I hope so and like natchez500, i love to see a prisoner sweat from having to work
Posted by jack (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 2:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
same aceold dog why don't you get off the sheriff and his department looks like they do a good job and seem to want to give back to the community I also like to see a prisoner work and sometimes that seems to be all we can get out of a prisoner because the courts usually do not even make them work I do not care if he does use a prisoner in plain clothes to work He must be doing something right and at least he is trying to help what are you doing except downing people?
get back on your polic chief, he doesnot do anything for his folks
Posted by andy (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 2:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
NO ONE IS HELPING OUT IN JEFFERSON COUNTY INCLUDING THE SHERIFF WITH BOTH PRISONS HERE IF YOU SEE A PRISONER HERE, HE IS NOT DOING ANY KIND OF JOB AND HE IS USUALLY NOT EVER GUARDED BY A PRISON GUARD THANK GOD YOU DO HAVE PRISONERS WORKING IN YOUR CITY AND COUNTY
WILKINSON COUNTY IS THE SAME WAY NOTHING
SOMETIMES PEOPLE DO NEED HELP, WE DONOT ALL BELONG TO THE GARDEN CLUB AND HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY
Posted by LucilleMcGillicutty (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 2:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Jack, Andy, Donna, Natchez500 et al....
No offense, but why don't you just post under one
name rather than create so many aliases? I'm not
trying to rile you up, but it is fairly evident
that you are all one in the same.
You have lots of good and worthwhile comments. I'm
not picking on you, I just don't understand why you
use so many different handles.
Posted by andy (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 2:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
how can i do that sounds k i wish i could thanks anyway
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yeah so after three weeks they get started
wow what an achievement of organization and initiative
those boys are really on the ball, ha, yeah right
LAZY, APATHETIC, SLOW, UNORGANIZED
should have been started two weeks ago, I would like to know why ND didn't write an editorial two weeks ago about WHY HASN'T PUBLIC WORKS BEGUN CLEAN UP YET.
now how long will it take to get their maps out, mark them one street at a time, hope they don't loose that map, it'll probably be SIX MONTHS TO GET THE JOB DONE!!!
What are these slow pokes thinking about????? Some people in my neighborhood are going ahead and getting trailers and hauling their own debris cause their grass is dying out from having those big piles sitting there so long.
well I know a little dead grass is no crisis in the overall picture of things, but for God's Sake, seems like they could have gotten up off their lard butt and started the cleanup within a week of the storm in my opinion.
And where is Waste Management when we need them???? They are getting BIG BUCKS for hauling our city trash, I don't know if they pick up in the county or not, as I live in the city, but seems like their contract would have some language about assistance in storm disaster/crisis clean up. If not, THEN FIRE THEM and get some company local like DIAMOND DISPOSAL that will give us a fair serviced for what we pay.
Posted by natchez500 (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 3:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
do not put in that group i hate andys comments most of them and anyway he is black
Posted by donna (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 4:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
i cannot believe that statement i looked at their comments i am about 50% of what they usually are saying i am more to saying and doing whats right i believe doing the right things will have a positive end result
Posted by getalifenatchez (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 4:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why are all the limbs and debris still lining the curbs after 3 weeks??? Can they not get a chipper truck to go around and grind all this stuff up and use the mulch around all of our beautiful public flowerbeds (ha!) around our highways and misc. public buildings, and even give the mulch away to Mr./Mrs. Taxpayer???? Thats better than filling up the landfill with all this stuff. That would make way too much sense however..... I love all the storm debris still piled up on the Canal Street Median for several weeks +!!! Welcome to Natchez--- along with all the weeds on our medians and cigarette butts tossed to the curbs.... We give the impression sometimes of a huge run down trailer park......... Will things EVER change????? Not until we get these slobs around here to change there tune......and like the old saying goes, "you can't shine sh@#!".......
Posted by getalifenatchez (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 4:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Natchez500--- Who cares if Andy is purple! What does color have to do with it???? I can't stand the race card being played and used for a crutch---which is way to often, but please don't make such offensive remarks... Getalife!
Posted by natchez500 (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 5:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
i just wanted to let him know i am not andy everybody knows andy it was not a race card that is some of the natchez way again not me sorry if looked that way and i do not have a clog of who donna is
Posted by oldsaw (anonymous) on September 19, 2008 at 9:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Lucille, you left out Jill. This multiple postin thing has been going on since the spring. Look back on the posting and it's quite obvious who it is.
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