2021/09/13 - Mayor's Column: Help Us Keep O'Fallon Clean and Safe
“AN OPEN DOOR TO O’FALLON”
A WEEKLY NOTE FROM MAYOR HERB ROACH
It is getting close to the time of the year when leaves and gum balls start falling. And we have fun raking them up. Many people don’t realize how these things can impact safety and drainage for storm water.
I would like to ask everyone to make sure that leaves and grass clippings are bagged or mulched and not blown out into the street. When they go into the streets, they end up blocking the gutter and storm drains. The city does not do leaf pick up, so mounds of leaves will either sit there, blow into someone else’s yard, or end up blocking a storm water drain.
Everyone should know that O’Fallon does not allow the burning of leaves and yard waste, but the pickup of yard waste is included in your trash pickup.
If you have a lawn service, please advise them to bag up the leaves and clippings for proper disposal and not blow it into the street, which I’m sure is easier for them.
You might say, well Herb why are you worried about this? Well, I am concerned because of how it impacts our City. I have seen people deliberately dumping baskets of leaves in the creeks that run through some neighborhoods and pushing them down a storm drain. In both cases, they end up getting caught on other items and start creating a barrier for the water to flow which causes backups and causes homes to have backups along the streams. Plus, it causes crews to have to be sent out to clear the storm drains to prevent backups. It results in a negative impact for someone just because we didn’t take the time to dispose of the material properly.
How does this impact safety, you may ask? When the storm drains get blocked by grass, leaves or other items, this stops or slows down the drainage of rainwater and melting snow. Which then can cause standing water in the streets and people’s property. If this occurs when temperatures are dropping, it can also cause ice and additional safety problems for walkers, bike riders, and cars.
The City does routinely clean the streets and gutters in O’Fallon. You have most likely seen the street sweeper working throughout the day. However, there are certain areas that this vehicle cannot get to or get to as often as needed. We ask that everyone do their part and help us keep the City looking (and functioning) great.
Your assistance and cooperation on these types of items are greatly appreciated. We are fortunate that most of our citizens already do this. But if everyone does it, it can make a big difference.
As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open!