Trumbull Changing Leaf Pick-up, Adds PC Tracking

Trumbull is trying to stay ahead of Mother Nature after last year's problematic leaf collection.

According to a town press release:

"All main roads will be done first, starting on Monday, Nov. 7. That should take two full weeks. On Nov. 21, they will then start from the north end of town (since that’s when the leaves fall first) and continue south, one crew on each side of the Pequonnock Valley, until finished."

The statement urges residents to put their leaves at the curbline as soon as possible starting in the north, and them moving south. The progress of the pickup can be tracked online once it begins. Leaves cannot be left in the road, and violators will be fined $90.

To view Street Names, zoom to 300 percent or more and use the "Hand" tool to pan around the document in order to navigate to your street.

Weather conditions may interfere with the pickup.

In the past the town has rotated pickup by voting district. District 2 in the south part of town was one of the last ones scheduled.

The town also urged residents to compost leaves where possible. Residents in all districts may call for bagged leaf pickup throughout the program period – 452-5070 or 452-5071. All bagged leaves must be in paper bags or they will not be picked up. Use these same numbers for any questions or comments.

The change falls short for one Trumbull resident.

"Any first selectman who plans a major, visible public works project, in this case leaf pick-up, for the day before the election is interested in votes, not leaves," said Carol Hudak. "Last year's 'non-election year leaves' were still not picked up by March, and voters were upset. Notice he's beginning on the major roads. What uninformed or undecided voter traveling to the polls would miss the large orange PWD trucks as they picked up leaves? Leaves have barely hit the ground in my neighborhood, but again, we know this has nothing to do with leaves."

"This is simply more shameless pandering for votes, along with all day kindergarten and senior tax relief. Nice soundbites, but no substance. What a difference an election makes," she added.

Seniors without computer skills might not be able to access the progress tool, Hudak said.

Not for Henry Lee. "It sounds to me like they are making a concerted effort to better organize the process. The progress tool sounds like a nice feature and it’s a step in the right direction in terms of leveraging technology," he said.

"I am curious to see how those on main roads fare with an early leaf pickup (as I would think those on main roads may often have less space in their yard to dispose of leaves). The north to south concept makes sense (although it’s hard to imagine that 10 miles makes much of a difference)....This may mean they come a bit too early for me," he added.

Another resident thinks the collection could be starting too early. "The leaves are nowhere near to coming down. North, south, that doesn't mean a thing," said Bob Silva. "That costs the town a lot of money."

But he added, the workers who collect the leaves "do a great job."

"They keep the town great," he said.

Resident Steve Yusko said he now lives in a condo but his experience when he owned a house in Trumbull was positive. He liked the new idea.

"It's worth a try," he said.