Today is Sunday, May 4. In my travels around the Village the past two days, I have noticed some very impressive piles of debris. One such pile is on 119th Street, in the 11th Avenue to 11th Place block, and another is on 10th Avenue at about 115th Street. These piles are of aggressively harvested yard waste.
It appears that some of our neighbors have embarked on ambitious spring yard maintenance. The evidence suggests not something as simple as raking, but real tree-trimming, bordering on what used to be called tree surgery.
I wonder what got into these neighbors, and what moved them, to make serious and distinct improvements in their landscaping. Because it was two of them, who I can't imagine have anything to do with each other, I wonder if something more than spring is in the air. Is it possible that all this talk of sanitation, Village pride, Village maintenance, possible road improvement, and other public improvements is filtering to homeowners' appreciations of their own properties? It could be nothing more than coincidence, but the Parks and Parkways Board has been talking about a demonstration median improvement project, and the selected median block is directly in front of the 10th Avenue pile. Have the homeowners heard about this, and are they in some sense competing with the Village for who will have the better appearance?
Could public improvement lead to private improvement? What about even the promise, or simply suggestion, of public improvement? Could that motivate people? I'm not sure I would have thought so, and maybe it is nothing more than coincidence, but I'm not used to seeing clean-ups like these. And certainly not two at the same time.
I see that a PS is in order. I had previously noticed some unreasonably low branches from the now pruned tree on 119th, and I'm glad to see the street is now clear of them. Around the corner, on 11th Place going south, there are many other trees that create the same problem. I wish those owners would take a hint from the 119th Street owner.
Just another good reason to move the yard trash pickup to Mondays.
ReplyDeleteI don't think moving the pick-up to Monday will solve the problem. If the debris pile has been there for several days then
ReplyDeletethose people need a visit from "Code" to explain about having the trimming removed by the people doing the trimming or
get fined. Maybe they don't know (yea, right) not to put the stuff out until the day before pick-up.
Hi Rosemary,
DeleteI guess I was referring to the typical weekend yard work. I know that myself and others have to move the pile twice for pickup. It would be easier to have it accommodated on Mondays. Just my $0.02.
My own feeling is this. People don't do heavy yard maintenance often. What I saw looks like the kind of job someone would do once a year, or less often. I'm so grateful to them for doing it, and I'm so motivated to encourage other people to do that kind of clean-up, that I'd rather make it easier, instead of harder, for them to do it. How would you feel about homeowners like those being able to call Reggie in advance, to tell him to expect an unusual pile of debris for a few days, and he could give them exceptional permission to create it and wait for it to be removed? Doesn't work?
ReplyDeleteAlso, since many homeowners do tend to do their heavier yard work on weekends, it probably does make sense to have the removal day be Monday. Although for me, it's Tuesday. But I'm on an alley, and no one sees my trash and debris, no matter what day I put it there.
Fred
When I do "heavy maintenance" I have a company that does it and hauls the stuff away. And it is good to see people maintaining their property. And PW can arrange special pick-up.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. I think Rosemary's right, that we should call PW in advance when we know we're going to have a large pile of yard waste. And I think Milt's right, that it's so annoying that computer keyboards don't have that C with the line through it for cents.
ReplyDeleteFred
ReplyDeleteRequested to be anonymous:
I drove by the two houses, and the one on 119th street I'm almost positive was done by an outside company, unless the owner had a high-lift. It's against our Code to pay someone to trim trees and leave the pile for public works. That pile is way over the allowable limit, and if you look at how dead the leaves are, it's been sitting there for quite some time.
The other house on 10th ave. didn't trim trees - it's the hedging material that he pulled out and piled up. Again, way before 24 hours before pick-up and two piles that both exceed the limit. Take a look at the yard. That house has been before Code Compliance because he hasn't cleaned up the sand pile and other things.
I know you're trying to encourage residents to do more with their yards, but the codes are there so that when I have company at house on the weekend, I don't have to look at piles of debris piled up and down my block. I probably have more yard trash then most houses, and I manage to put it behind a wall and bring it out on my pick-up day. I have my trees trimmed, and part of the fee is to take it away.
Encourage residents to trim trees and bushes and improve their landscaping, but also encourage them to comply with our Codes because it's the right thing to do. Our neighborhood will be the winner.
Excellent argument, and perfect points. There is no argument. I stand corrected.
DeleteFred
This tree was pruned improperly. The major stub cuts will result in poorly attached new growth that will be hazardously prone to ripping away from the parent branch stubs. Te owner should be required to have the tree repaired through the removal of the stubs at a proper branching point. Miami Dade county should be notified as to the improper pruning of a specimen tree. As to the debris, the commercial tree trimmer should have been required to remove the debris. As to what day yard waste should be collected, what is good for one is not good for others - for instance many would prefer to have all debris removed on Fridays, so that the Village is clean for the weekend.
ReplyDeleteDan,
DeleteMy impression of the pruning job was exactly as you described. It seemed to me the homeowners got a poor job from someone. Those branches should have been taken at the main trunk, not somewhere in the middle of the branch. As far as I know, based on the wheelchair ramps outside, the homeowners must have hired someone, and not done it themselves.
As for part of the comment of the anonymous reader, I noticed the pile of debris on Sunday and on Tuesday. I did not notice it before Sunday. On Sunday, there were lots of green leaves. On Tuesday, there were none. They were all brown and dry-looking. So if they dry and turn brown that fast, and I didn't see them before Sunday (I didn't happen to pass there Saturday), I'm thinking the pile may not have been there for long after all.
But, as the anonymous reader notes, there's still no excuse. The pruner should have taken all the debris away, and if he did not view that as part of what he was contracted to do, the homeowner should have called the Village to request a special pick-up. It should not have sat there as long as it did. Interestingly, the pile on 10th Avenue (at about 116th, not 115th) was gone on Tuesday.
Fred