Officials feeling heat from residents over storm cleanup

By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

April 22, 2008 08:18 pm

— ASHTABULA — City residents would like to see the tree limbs from the March 4-5 ice storm picked up as soon as possible.
After haggling at Monday night’s precouncil meeting about whether city crews should continue to pick their way through the debris after bids for wards 1, 2, and 5 pickup come in, Council President Robert Beacom said: “I don’t care if you hire Barney’s trained beavers to chew it all up. I just want it picked up.”
The bids are due by 11 a.m. Friday.
The city finished Ward 4 last week and is picking up twigs and sticks in Ward 3 this week, said Dom Iarocci, superintendent of public services.
City officials decided to bid out the three largest wards, which includes the Ashtabula harbor neighborhood, the area hit hardest by the ice storm.
“Just driving down Union Avenue is going to take (work crews) a week and a half,” Beacom said.
City residents who do not want to wait until crews come by, can drop debris off 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the old Ohio Department of Transportation building on West Avenue. Proof of residency will be required.
Anyone who would like to help senior citizens drag their branches and sticks to the tree lawn should meet 9 a.m. Saturday at Kent State University-Ashtabula. Community Action is organizing that event.