Politics & Government
Kinnelon Council Discusses Cleanup Effort
DPW to facilitate, residents should report road problems
At the workshop meeting last Thursday, Mayor Robert Collins opened his report by saying, "We need a break here from storms." He discussed the cleanup efforts in the borough's 19.1 square miles, saying he would like to assist homeowners and elderly residents.
"At the very least, we need to have a conversation on assisting people with brush and chipping, said Collins. "A number of surrounding communities are making efforts, and I want to come up with recommendations and put an effort forth to help people with cleanup."
In his Public Works committee report, Councilman Dan O'Dougherty said Kinnelon will receive funds from FEMA for cleanup efforts.
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"FEMA will give Kinnelon 75 percent of what they approve," he said. "The number of hours the Volunteer puts in will be part of FEMA's calculation, plus extra time and mileage of the ."
O'Dougherty reported that tree removal was three-quarters complete.
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Reporting on Public Safety, Councilman Andrew San Filippo reported that the produced more phone inquiries than .
"We received more phone calls during the storm than during Hurricane Irene – over 1,400 calls," he said. "A couple of days after the storm, people were getting nervous. There were power outages and trees down."
A resident said there were overhanging tree branches still affecting driving on some roads. Kinnelon Road and Keil Avenue from Maple Lake Road to Pathmark were given as examples.
Mayor Collins said the borough is aware there are still many areas with problems related to the snowstorm. He said the power companies have given advice not to touch branches, but that the borough was looking into it.
"We are coordinating efforts with our DPW and taking steps to facilitate cleanup, Collins said. "If you identify anything, we'll notify the DPW."
The Mayor said he agrees this is an issue and wants residents to report any specific problems with branches and debris that are affecting roadways in the borough.
"Refer them to us. We want to make sure people are safe," he said.
