Final Storm Debris Pickup Begins February 5

Kirkwood, Missouri -- Wednesday, January 31, 2007 – Two major ice storms hitting in less than seven weeks can certainly be termed a “rarity” in Kirkwood. Downed limbs and branches lining Kirkwood streets has now become commonplace. However, the city is hopeful that, weather permitting, the final storm debris will be collected within the next two weeks.

As of January 30, 2,348 cubic yards of residential storm debris had been collected, chipped and delivered to St. Louis Composting – enough chipped material to fill approximately 16,300 yard waste bags, which if placed next to each other in a line would cover more than 72 football field lengths! So far the debris collection has cost the City of Kirkwood $102,564.57. The city expects to be reimbursed by FEMA for these costs as President Bush declared both storms to be national disasters. In addition to private property storm debris, 1,213 trees in the public right-of-way have been trimmed of hazardous limbs at a cost of $115,235. The city expects to recover these costs from FEMA as well.

The city hired Arbor Masters to handle the collection and disposal of the storm debris. Residents wanting storm debris from the latest storm, which hit Kirkwood January 12-14, should have their debris to the curb by 6 a.m. on Monday, February 5. With crews working six days a week and nine hours a day, the city expects all storm debris to be cleared within the next two weeks. The contractor is keeping a detailed listing of what streets have been completed and will be making one final pass through the city beginning February 5 to clear both the private storm debris and right-of-way trimmings. Residential storm debris eligible for collection can be no longer than six feet in length with no individual branch any larger than 10 inches in diameter.

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