Officials to explore
altering leaf pickup
HOWELL — The Township Council has directed employees to look at how the town schedules leaf and brush pickups.
At the Oct. 20 meeting of the governing body, Councilman Joseph M. DiBella said he had been contacted by resident David Halberstein regarding the leaf pickup schedules set by the township.
DiBella said Halberstein lives in northern Howell where leaf pickup runs from Oct. 27-31 when, said DiBella, "rarely have any leaves fallen off the trees."
DiBella said pickups are scheduled in such a fashion that residents in northern Howell always find themselves raking and putting leaves out long after their scheduled pickups.
DiBella, who lives in northern Howell, said this inevitably leads to a situation where leaves pile up and blow onto neighborhood lawns. He suggested that the Public Works Department adopt a rotating schedule that is fairer to all residents.
If that doesn’t work, DiBella said in lieu of a rotating schedule perhaps a second pickup could be scheduled.
Mayor Timothy J. Konopka said he thought DiBella’s suggestion for a rotating schedule was an excellent one.
Konopka said he and Councilman Juan Malave live in the Ramtown (southern) section of Howell where leaf pickup is scheduled for December when, he said, "You have a combination of snow and leaves being discarded."
The council meeting was not attended by Councilman Peter Tobasco or Council-woman Cynthia Schomaker.
Tobasco was absent due to a work commitment and Schomaker was in Pennsyl-vania where she has been caring for her son who was seriously injured in a September motor vehicle accident.
Konopka noted that Schomaker’s son was being moved to the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in northern New Jersey that day.