Many have been wondering why there are still dozens of streets littered with trees and debris waiting to be picked up by the Department of Public Works, weeks after the storms hit.
Residents have complained to TLS that the trees and branches sticking into the roads, are causing a hazard to motorists and pedestrians alike, and are also scratching up their vehicles as they drive by the large piles.
TLS reached out to Committeeman Ray Coles – the liaison to the DPW, for some clarity.
“They are working 7 days a week”, says Committeeman Coles, but says the crews are also now faced with the task of picking up the hundreds of piles of leaves around town, which is doubling the crews’ workload.
Coles says the DPW is using all available crews to assist in the cleanup, which he says is still looking far better than cleanup efforts in other North Jersey towns.
The Committeeman added that cutting up trees to 2-3 foot pieces will help expedite the pickup, and keeping lef and tree piles separate will also help the process.
If you live in a hard-hit neighborhood and the streets are still not passable, you can contact TLS, who will in turn reach out to Committeeman Coles with the issue. TLS.
Unexceptable
keep up the good work guys !!!!
Its nice that there working hard but its not an excuse ! If there’s a snow storm anytime soon ……..
This week the scoop had the “haverim ” doing better job Then DPW!! Maybe They should Take it over.
Can we see a progree report of what was done and what remains to be done?
I havent seen any cleanup in town and i do drive around.
can all these chachomim who are crititicizing the DPW, please learn how to spell right!
#1 the word is unacceptable….
The DPW men are working very hard! You can help by having piles of leaves seperated from the branches. Be nice..these men are doing a fine job, if it is not quick enough, remove the debris yourself!
How about people are t lazy and take their own debris to the dump
Where did all the help go? There were so many crews out during the storm helping and when it comes to the real hard labor part of doing the real man’s job, then yes absolutely DPW men win hands down. If you placed out debri without consideration of others, than you put yourself as well as others in danger, not the people cleaning it up!!!
1-Havering Can volunteered to do it As much as they can
2- other organization can volunteer.
I was driving around town and saw the crews at work. Thank you! Anyone who has an issue should go bring their trees and leaves to the dump themselves.
they should stop the street sweeper that waits for the leaf trucks to finish – wasting time – street sweeping should be done by street on a specified day as the garbage is done – like that people will also know not to park on the street that day.
If you can do a better job then please do it.If not then shut up and stop complaining.
new central is geferlach
HAVEN’T SEAN A SINGLE TRUCK AROUND WEAR DO THEY SAY PICKUP IS HAPPENING ITS OVER A MONTH STOP THE STORY’S
THE LIGHTS AND FLAGS WENT UP NO PROBLEM???
First, all the cars getting scratched are because drivers here have vision or attention problems. So their scratches are inevitable anyhow.
Second, I have seen steady and significant progress in our cleanup.
Third, all you need to do is visit neighboring towns and others along the coast to become much more appreciative of how good we have it here.
Thank you DPW. You’re all doing a wonderful job, don’t let anyone tell you any different. You ARE appreciated.
I saw a crew on Saturday-Thanksgiving weekend doing great work on Monmouth Ave. Thanks guys for your devotion!!
If they are working so hard how come I haven’t seen one crew working in the past two weeks I drive around all of Lakewood all day every day (as my job dictates) I have not even seen one crew, so quit the balony and start working
it doesn’t help either when people have the leaves piled so far out into the street that only one car can pass at a time. on north lake drive there is a house with its leaves like this and its also by a very curvy part of the road.
My town has brush pickup starting on 12/17. Leaf pickup is our responsibility. Our street gets swept once a year, maybe, and it’s a main street . Our so called public works department is a joke,yours is not, so stop complaining and be thankful for what you have or pay a lawn service $25 like i did to haul away the limbs and branches.
Those crews are working on a hard hit area on the south side of town. I saw them there the last couple days. There are trees down and crews using dumpsters to take all those loads to the recycling center its crazy, that street sweeper is going around after the trucks and equipment you can not do it on a day that you have garbage collection because of all the cans in the street. There is a lot of brush out there and someone earlier said it, stop mixing up your brush with your leaves.
Are they still scheduling another leaf pickup for the end of December, I have a friend that is trying to find a company that will not screw him on clean ups as his mom is handicapped and unable to do it.
Just asking
Try looking at Jackson, its much worse than Lakewood. Quit your crying and complaining! These workers are out sacrificing their weekends off and holidays with their families to make sure this town gets cleaned Have a little respect and stop thinking about only yourself!
I drive around town from 6 am. to 6 pm. there are no work trucks out cleaning up.
Pure government incompetence. And yes, I could do a better job. If this was a private company, they would have been fired years ago. Since they work for government they get a pat on on the back and told they’re doing a great job, and of course given a raise.
Sorry DPW but there is no excuse. Haven’t seen any crews out in full force. It takes a crew of about 8 just to pick up leaves!! No reason for that. Residents should bag their leaves and all you need is one truck to pick it up.
The DPW has to e run efficiently. They managed to build a huge state of the are complex but failed to run a cost efficient operation. Pedestrians are forced onto streets as piles sit around for months on the sidewalk. Where are the commiteemen elected to protect the saftey of the citizens of lakewood?
I can’t believe all the complainers on here. I did not see DPW doing anything, but if they didn’t pick up the 4 piles of branches on my block then I would like to report a theft of a lot of firewood. And by the way nice clean up after the pick up.
Stop complaining DPW is doing a GREAT job! And you wanted to lay them off!!
Was just curious what this is about: f you live in a hard-hit neighborhood and the streets are still not passable, you can contact TLS, who will in turn reach out to Committeeman Coles with the issue. TLS.
Is this the new system for filing a complaint to the Twp?
Hollywood ave is very bad, we have a shul there and cant park
Caranetta and many of the streets off of Central – South Colombus!!!
I really do try to be non-judgmental but the spelling….. OY! It’s a chillul Hashem. Spell check, folks….or a nice old-fashioned dictionary!
Don’t understand the excuse of leaves vs branches. In my neighborhood we have both piled up everywhere. No parking anywhere and some streets are barely passable. I haven’t seen a single crew since the Sandy.
I SPOKE TO THE GUY RUNNING THE ONLY TREE REMOVAL TRUCK THAT LAKEWOOD HAS LET THEM GET OUTSIDE HELP OR THEY WONT BE DONE BEFORE WINTER IS OVER
Bunch of sick people in Lakewood. Always complaining, one day about the snow, another about JCP&L, another about the water co. another about trees, leaves, then about the color of the new police cars. I’m beginning to believe people are sickly bored in this town.
Imagine the leaf & tree pickup was contracted to a private company.
Would the township except excuses?
If you have a landscaping company doing your cleanup and they charge you to take your leaves and branches away then you need to ask them why are they putting it to the Curb and Charging you for the removal . PS DPW Is doing their best but i guess the residents have nothing else better to do but complain about Us DPW workers
Can I have some cheese with the Whine? Maybe if complainers had all the behind the scenes scripts they may not throw the first stone!!! There are always 2 sides to a story, his/hers and then the truth!!!
The villas, rain tree, and east end have not been touched.
What i don’t understand is where are the priorities?
Why do the seniors who have little to no trash receive pick up 2 times a weak, an the rest of the town once?
Why is the 5 dpw workers hanging up signs and decoration down town when there is more important things to do?
We must add to the ballot the budget of the dpw they waste millions and it mismanaged. If it was a private company they would have been fired!!!
Jcp&l has restored power to all of town but yet dpw who has a much simpler job take much longer? Hire part timers as they wanted to do with the snow or find another solution but do it quick!!!
Miller road is a hazard!! no sidewalks to walk on people walking on the street with no shoulders. NO EXCUSE for that.!
Where is thhe accountability from the Township and its departments?
At least they stop complaining about the yellow cans, And Streets Lights not working, and Eli What job you do? if you Drive All over town….Do you pay taxes and all the jobs you do? And How do you think the recycle center get all those loads of brush? From the ghost men…
I kinda thought they would be picking up after the storms as per the annual pick up schedule. My only concern is that this update should have been on the townships website first, not here 4 weeks afterwards. Now if only my neighbors would use the extra time to actually rake their leaves to the curb instead of leaving them to blow into the yards of us who actually abide by the schedule. It should be as it was in the past. If you don’t get your leaves to the curb during the scheduled pick up dates then it is your responsibility to get rid of them at your expense. Too many people wait until they feel it’s convenient for them to get the leaves to the curb and then call the DPW. Most times this isn’t until late spring thereby costing all of us more tax money.
I could never understand why residents pile their leaves at the roadside for the township to pick up. All they need to do is mow their leaves with a lawnmower while the leaves are still in their yards. It is quick and easy to do. The leaves are shredded to bits, and provide nutrients and mulch for the grass. It is so much easier than raking the leaves. Just make sure that you pick up any branches, twigs etc first before you start mowing the leaves. Also wear a pair of goggles to protect your eyes while mowing.
Just want to add my 2 cents to the discussion…
In my neighborhood we had many branches (quite large ones in fact) that were on the sidewalk as well as quite a bit into the roadway. Because of that it was difficult to drive down the street as cars would have to move into oncoming traffic to get by the large piles. We all wondered when this might be taken away.
(BTW, some of the people dragging the branches that fell on their property and piling them up on the road have absolutley NO SECHEL and NO CONSIDERATION for others. They could just have easily piled the branches in a way that it would not stick into the road and also not block the sidewalks, but they could not care one bit what they do and simply toss it and leave it wherever it lands. It’s a complete disregard of mentschlichkeit and these people should LEARN SOME MIDDOS AND DERECH ERETZ.)
Lo and behold, last week on Shabbos morning a crew arrive with a dumpster and got to work. Within 2-3 hours EVERYTHING was cleaned up BEAUTIFULLY! Not a branch or leaf anywhere to be found up and down the block. And then the sweeper can by and finished up….
WOWwwwww…. THANKS FOR A GREAT JOB, DPW! YOU ARE THE BEST!
To all complainers about leaves and branches, take a ride to the shore. They would be over joyed if that was their only problem. Be thankful you still have a home.
Do you have your homes, children/family safe, food on your table? Seriously, count your blessings. Many people would love to be in your shoes. Be thankful for what you have; you never know what tomorrow will bring. I know, because I’m living it.
To All those cynical comments calling Lakewooders complainers, you got it wrong! We are not complaining all we want is service with competence and efficiency. We pay sky high property taxes for the DPW and other Township services. Yet we are not getting bang for our buck. We would be better serviced with private contractors since they are responsable and accountable. Two things that Govt is lacking. There is ZERO accountability in any of the township departments. The elected commiteemen either don’t care or most probaly are scared and don’t have the guts to stand up to the many department heads that have been around before them. It is time for elections on the Department heads as well. The taxpayers have a right to be serviced. What we have now is inexcusable Government incompetence.
May I suggest a way to get rid of these piles of nuisance and at the same time save the DPW money? Think Lag Baomer, my friends, Lag Baomer…and the township would only pay for the weiners and marshmallows.
Actually I did think of celebrating Lag Ba’omer 6 months early HOWEVER I seem to recall a TOWNSHIP ORDINANCE that requires a PERMIT and a Fire Marshall etc. so your solution is NOT optimal…
Unexceptable is actually a word, although I doubt #1 meant to say that it is unobjectionable.