Town of Newtown Public Works employees began a curbside storm debris pickup project last week. Small trees, as well as limbs and branches felled by Tropical Storm Isaias, are being cleared by Town of Newtown Highway and Parks & Recreation employees, with three to four crews working at a time.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley on August 26 said the work is “a day or two behind right now,” but he expects it will nevertheless be completed by the end of the work day Friday, September 4.

Residents are generally happy to have the debris picked up for them, the department director said.

“I think for the most part, people are pleased that we are doing this pickup, because a number of towns are not. They’re leaving citizens to their own devices,” he said. “We thought there was enough debris out there to justify curbside pickup.”

Town employees are doing the pickup, so the town budget is covering the costs for this work. Hurley is hoping that the town will qualify for a FEMA grant, as happened following the May 2018 macroburst that also flattened countless trees; damaged and destroyed homes; and took down power lines, closed roads, and caused days of outages for thousands of residents.

In the wake of Tropical Storm Isaias earlier this month, the same scenario played out. The morning after the storm, 80 percent of the town was without power, local homes were damaged or destroyed, and many residents were trapped for days behind roadblocks created by fallen trees and/or wires.

Local crews had to wait until Eversource employees visited every location where electrical wires were downed or damaged to determine whether electricity was still present or not. Only after one of the utility’s crews confirmed the wires were dead or deactivated them on site could town crews begin opening blocked roads.

Due to that delay, the start date for curbside cleanup was pushed from August 17 to August 20.

Although it could a year or more before FEMA funds arrive, Highway Department and Parks & Rec employees are treating the storm debris as if the town will receive reimbursements.

“The debris that’s picked up is going to the transfer station, into separate piles,” Hurley said Wednesday afternoon. “If we should ever get eligible for FEMA, that way we can segregate it and isolate it.

“We’re following all the FEMA rules in terms of pickup and documentation of the debris,” he added.

Final Pickup Days Scheduled

Only storm debris — limbs, branches, and similar type debris — from the August 4 weather event is FEMA eligible. That is all that will be picked up.

All debris must be within the ten-foot right of way next to the road, but not in the road.

Residents can put debris into a trash can, which crews will dump and then leave. Piles of branches can be tied up if a homeowner wishes to do so. That step, says Hurley, is not required.

Brown paper leaf bags can also be used to hold debris. Plastic bags are not to be used.

Residents should note that the town crews are going over each road only once. Hurley announced the plan and schedule on August 14, nearly a week before this work began. Those who did not get their debris to the curb in time for the scheduled pickup should take it to the transfer station on Ethan Allen Road.

In his August 14 announcement, Hurley said there “will be no charge for any size wood being taken to the transfer station until the cleanup is completed.”

Residents should not wait to pile branches, limbs, etc in front of their home, Hurley said.

“We’re only going through once. We’ve had a few instances already, where people have put more stuff out,” he said, after the town crews went through a neighborhood.

The town has been divided into four quadrants, the first two of which have already been cleared.

Town crews were scheduled to begin working in Quadrant 3 Thursday through Saturday, August 27-29. This area includes all roads south of I-84 from Lake Zoar to Exit 11; then west of Washington Avenue, south of the flagpole, and south on Main and South Main Street/Route 25 to the Monroe border.

Quadrant 4, to begin Monday, August 31, or soon thereafter, includes all roads west of South Main Street from the intersection with Sugar Street/Route 302 to the Monroe border, all roads south of Sugar Street to Hattertown, and all roads south of Cemetery and Poorhouse to the Bethel border.