TEMPLE, Texas — The City of Temple announced Monday it had hired a company to help finish the pickup of debris left behind by the February ice storm.
The City said it would pay $400,000 to D&J Enterprises Inc. to work seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until the job is complete.
“Our crews have been working non-stop to get this debris cleaned up. The reality is, the ice storm caused a vast amount of downed trees and debris, and it has overwhelmed our crews," said Justin Brantley, Director of Solid Waste for the City of Temple. "We hear our community's concerns and are excited to get this help so we can serve our residents faster and get back to the beautiful Temple we know and love."
The City said it's collected an estimated 270,000 cubic yards of brush but it was still only halfway complete. They said at the current pace it would take an additional four months to finish.
D&J crews will work west to east to pick up the remaining brush beginning Tuesday, March 21, according to the City. Their services also provide for the grinding of the brush, which will be utilized by Waste Management as groundcover for the City’s landfill.
City crews will continue to collect bulk while the contractor is collecting the brush. Once the contractor is complete in all the areas of the City, regular collection for both brush and bulk will resume as scheduled by City crews.
If a resident's brush and bulk pile is mixed, it will not be serviced, the City said. Residents are responsible for separating those piles.
Also, because crews will work weekends and evenings, the City asked residents not to block access to the brush piles and allow space for the heavy-duty equipment that crews will be utilizing to make those pick-ups.
No additional charges will be reflected on residents' utility bills while the City contracts services for brush collection. For more information on brush and bulk collection, and area collection updates, please visit the solid waste department website.