By Maggie LaNoue – Contributing Writer – March 27
On a cool early spring day in Albion, with patches of green grass just beginning to emerge beneath the winter’s remnants, city crews were at work along Fitch Street clearing piles of leaves left behind after an unusually early snowfall last fall.
Snow arrived around Thanksgiving, cutting short the typical leaf collection season while leaves were still falling. At the same time, a breakdown in leaf pickup equipment further delayed the process, leaving many residents with piles of leaves that remained on their lawns through the winter months.
Now, as temperatures begin to rise, those leaves are drying out after being compressed under snow, raising concerns about potential damage to grass in some areas.
The extended cleanup has also revealed some confusion about how leaf collection works. City officials had indicated in a public information video that loose leaves placed within the public right-of-way — generally the area near the street — would be collected. However, some residents interpreted that to mean that leaves from across their yards could be moved to the curb for pickup.
In practice, loose collection was intended for leaves already in the right-of-way, while leaves from other parts of yards were expected to be bagged for regular yard waste service through Granger, using paper leaf bags or green-lidded containers.
The misunderstanding — along with the early arrival of winter — led to larger-than-expected piles in some areas, adding to the workload crews are now working through this spring.
Despite the delays, crews have continued making progress. The leaf vacuum equipment is back in service but remains temperamental — crews are being careful to avoid pulling chunks of asphalt into the machine, so some of the work is being done by hand. The city hopes to have all remaining leaves collected by June. The work is also taking place alongside road construction activity that is beginning earlier than expected this season, increasing the pace of public services work across the city.
Residents who can rake and bag their own leaves may want to get outside this week — the forecast shows sunny skies and temperatures climbing into the upper 50s and low 60s this weekend and into Monday. Wet leaves compressed against grass through a long winter can cause damage, so the sooner they are cleared the better chance the lawn has to recover. Granger yard waste collection resumes Wednesday, April 1, and bags or the green-lidded cart can go out that day.
