LAMBERTVILLE: Sparkle Week is back with $35 fee attached

Mayor David Del Vecchio:”Given our diminishing resources, it’s a way to continue a well-liked program for a relatively modest fee”

By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
   LAMBERTVILLE — Sparkle Week, the city’s annual curbside collection of heavy household items, will be back this spring after a one-year hiatus with one significant change.
   Residents who want the city’s Public Works Department to haul away their items will have to pay a $35 fee.
   ”Given our diminishing resources, it’s a way to continue a well-liked program for a relatively modest fee,” Mayor David Del Vecchio said Monday when the City Council unanimously approved the change.
   Residents will receive a placard to show Public Works they have paid their fee and are participating in Sparkle Week.
   The placards are expected to be available at City Hall by Friday, City Clerk Lori Buckelew said.
   Public Works Director Paul Cronce estimated approximately 785 placards — about half the number of stops normally made by Public Works for trash pickup — will be ordered.
   That should cover the estimated cost of running Sparkle Week, which includes extra inmate labor and the disposal of the heavy household goods, such as couches and other furniture. Previously, Sparkle Week was a service provided by the city at no extra cost.
   Sparkle Week last year was a casualty of the city’s budget crisis when Lambertville faced a loss of more than $150,000 in state aid.
   The elimination of the popular event saved the city about $20,000.
   This year, Lambertville’s state aid will be cut $22,690. Also, the city plans to ask the state for extraordinary aid. Mayor Del Vecchio did not say how much the city is requesting.
   To obtain a placard by mail, residents must fill out a form that will be available on the city’s Web site or at City Hall.
   The completed form should be returned to City Hall by April 27 with the $35 fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope. The placards will be mailed back to residents.
   The forms also will be available at City Hall if residents miss the April 27 deadline to obtain one by mail.
   The city plans to mail details about Sparkle Week to all residents.
   Public Works will perform pickups for four weeks, covering a quarter of the city each week.
   If a household’s normal trash collection day is Tuesday, its Sparkle Week pickup will occur from May 4 to 8. For homes with a Wednesday trash pickup, their Sparkle Week dates are May 11 to 15. Homes with Thursday garbage pickup will have Sparkle Week from May 18 to 22. Homes with Friday trash pickup will have Sparkle Week from June 1 to 5.
   The city has been offering Sparkle Week for about 20 years, according to Mr. Cronce. During the initial years, nearly every household set out discarded items at their curbs to be hauled away, but a decline occurred in recent years.
   Because of the hiatus last year, a higher participation rate is anticipated this year, officials said.
   Public Works will not accept certain substances. These include latex and oil paints, oils of any kind, concrete, bricks, pavers, gas, diesel fuel, propane, including old tanks and cylinders, and household cleaners.