Allendale March 2, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 7 Borough may reconsider curbside garbage collection by John Koster An attractively low bid for curbside garbage pickup has led Allendale Mayor Vince Barra and members of the borough council to take a new look at savings that would be possible if the borough shifted to curbside pickup. “We’re looking for every possible way to keep our costs down,” Mayor Barra said, despite a virtual plebiscite about a year ago in which residents strongly opposed curbside collection. Keith Cauwenberghs, Allendale’s director of public works, was present at last week’s council meeting and confirmed that a segmented bid from Suburban, Allendale’s present garbage contractor, had offered a contract for curbside pickup that could save Allendale $187,000 per year, or $938,000 for the next five years. The extremely detailed numbers, not provided in writing, were somewhat bewildering, as Mayor Barra admitted, but the concept was clear. “If we went to curbside, we’d be getting the fourth and fifth year for free?” Mayor Barra asked. “That’s three-quarters of the two percent cap.” Cauwenberghs said this was essentially correct. The obstacle to the possible cost reduction, as Mayor Barra noted, is that those Allendale residents who spoke at a meeting about a year ago were almost unanimously opposed to curbside pickup. Residents said it would be a violation of Allendale’s upscale image. Realtors said that curbside containers made a poor impression of the borough, which could reduce property values and thus would not be cost-effective. Members of the borough council, however, agreed that Allendale’s flat state aid profile – last year’s $165,000 cut was left in place but not expanded – and the general economic conditions demanded that every responsible way of saving money be explored. Mayor Barra acknowledged that a reversal of the opposition to curbside pickup would not be easy, but said the council would reach out to the public before reaching a decision before the present garbage contract lapses on April 14. He noted that 30 to 40 percent of Allendale residents already set their containers at or near the curbs voluntarily, and saw that as hopeful. Cauwenberghs, questioned by Mayor Barra, added that the contractor had offered an option: Residents who feel they absolutely need side yard pickup can contract separately with the contractor at $15 to $20 per month to have the workers haul the containers the extra dis- tance. The contractor would be between the homeowner and the contractor and would not involve Allendale in enforcement or supervision. Barra and Cauwenberghs noted that there had been no problems with the present contractor. They added that the general drop in bid prices by almost all contractors, especially for curbside pickup, was also due to the economic situation. While the council wanted to poll the public before making a decision, there was clearly a strong interest in anything that could help Allendale cope with the lagging economy. Allendale Council Members Elizabeth White and Amy Wilcynski led a move to allow two landscape contractors, rather than one, to handle borough-mandated maintenance on private properties. Mayor Vince Barra had proposed that Allendale only designate Borst Landscaping as the final arbiter of complaints about residents who do not maintain their properties. When homeowners or property owners fail to shovel their sidewalks or fail to keep their grass cut, complaints to the building subcode official, John Wittekind, trigger a warning, a summons, and ultimately the dispatch of a designated landscaper to shovel the snow or cut the grass. The bill is then filed with the borough, and the borough places a lien on the property. That lien must be paid before the property changes hands. “The landscaping is a bigger issue,” Mayor Barra said. “I think we’ve had one snow removal violation in the past four years, but we have grass cutting (issues) all the time.” Three landscaping contractors bid on the right to be Two contractors will handle maintenance the designated cutter. Barra noted that the lowest bidder for most services also stipulated a two-hour minimum for assigned work. Since some jobs could be done in an hour or less, Barra said he believed this imposed needless expense on the borough, and ultimately on the negligent property owner. “Instead of charging $45 (for a one-hour job) they’d be charging $90 (for a two-hour job that took an hour or less),” Barra explained. While she agreed with the mayor’s logic, White said she favored an approach to allow Jacobsen Landscape, the other one-hour-minimum contractor, to remain on Wittekind’s list of eligible contractors. Wilcynski went over the contracts and found that some services were less expensive from Borst, some from Jacobsen, and she concurred with White’s suggestion that both contractors be listed for possible services as necessary. Barra and the council agreed. J. 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