Cleanup from storm will take weeks

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By Dustin Lemmon | Monday, July 28, 2008 6:12 PM CDT | () comments

Midland Davis Corporation equipment operator Zack Shuck uses a giant grinder to cut up tree branches in Rock Island from last week's storm at a dump site on 31st Avenue. (Larry Fisher/QUAD-CITY TIMES) Buy this Photo

For some cities, picking up debris from last week’s storm is expected to take weeks and could demand more time than flood and snow cleanup this year.

Rich Westmoreland, operations manager for Moline, said crews started picking up tree limbs and leaves Monday. The city’s whole public works staff, with the exception of one person filling potholes and another street sweeping, is helping out.

“It’s probably worse than the snow storm and flood put together,” Westmoreland said of the cleanup. “We’re looking at it taking six to eight weeks to get it done with it taking us right into leaf season.”

Randy Tweet, Rock Island’s street maintenance supervisor, said the cleanup from the July 21 storm will leave the city with more mulch than the staff knows what to do with.

“We’ll have an enormous pile,” the city’s eight-year veteran said. “This is more trees down (than I’ve seen) certainly since I’ve been around.”

Tweet said Rock Island contracted five additional trucks, two additional loaders and 10 more ground workers to help. They are following the city refuse pickup routes but expect to fall behind because they have so much to collect, he said.

The debris is being taken to a dumping site behind Ted’s Boatarama at 102 31st Ave. where everything is being put through a grinder, Tweet said. Residents can also dump tree limbs at that site on their own.

The city plans to offer the mulch to the public and any business that’s interested, but they’re still trying to figure out what to do with it all, Tweet added.

Westmoreland said Moline is using its regular staff to pick up debris. They are following the same system they use for leaf pickup but are going in reverse, starting by the Rock River in the areas hardest hit and working their way toward the Mississippi River.

Residents can call the city’s collection hot line at (309) 797-0425 to find out how fast the pickup is going. Westmoreland said city staff already picked up 406 loads of debris last week.

Dave Pannell, Milan, Ill., public works supervisor, said his staff of 14 has been working 12- and 13-hour shifts since last week. He worked 12-hour shifts both Saturday and Sunday.

“I’m hoping to get back on to straight time by Wednesday or Thursday,” he said. “We’re going through the whole town once, then we’ll go back a second time.”

Pannell said city staff is burning debris. He hopes to have the cleanup finished within another week or two.

In Bettendorf, which sustained minor, sporadic storm damage, the city is collecting downed branches this week without requiring residents to bundle them. Yard waste also can be put in paper bags without a sticker. Also, items can be taken to the compost facility free of charge.

“We just ask that residents stack branches neatly at the regular collection spot,” said Deputy Public Works Director Michelle Javornik. “We were really lucky. We have dodged a couple of bullets.”

Davenport residents can drop off limbs at the city compost facility at 2702 Railroad Ave. until Aug. 2. The city is also picking up smaller amounts of debris with limbs no bigger than 5 feet long and 6 inches in diameter.

(David Heitz contributed to this story.)

Power restored

MidAmerican Energy Co. spokeswoman Ann Thelen said all customers should have power restored except those with property damage that the owner must repair before MidAmerican can restore service. If you do not yet have power restored, call MidAmerican at 800-799-4443.

Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com.