(Update) Town to Pick Up Brush For Residents

By a 4 to 1 vote Wednesday night, the Board of Selectmen approved curbside brush pickup on town roads.

While the town has extended its offer for free brush drop-off at the transfer station, numerous residents have requested curbside brush pick up.

“We’ve had a significant number of calls,” first selectman Richard Barlow said.

Brush should be brought to the curb by Monday, Nov. 14 and be no larger than 8 inches in diameter and 7 feet long, Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner said.

Branches must be placed with the thickest ends towards the street. Please be sure to place the debris so that it does not obstruct sidewalks or impair visibility for motor vehicle drivers.

He also urges residents to continue to bring brush to the transfer station if possible due to the cost of pickup. 

Contractors delivering storm debris to the transfer station on behalf of residents must tell the transfer station operator the name, address and phone number of the resident, according to a town press release. The transfer station operator will then verify that the load came from a Canton resident.

On Wednesday, selectmen approved a two-week program at a cost of up to $22,720.

The program will consist of three Department of Public Works crews and four temporary workers. Two crews will have a truck and chipper and the other a truck and “skid steer.”

In addition, the town has a “soft” commitment of a state Department of Transportation crew for a week. (The state has offered curbside pickup on its roads as well)

The costs of the town program includes $2,440 for two-week rental of an industrial chipper, possible DPW overtime of roughly $5,480, as much as $4,800 for four laborers for 10 days and $10,000 for miscellaneous costs such as fuel or additional hours.

The $4,800 for the four workers is based on an estimate of $15 an hour. Skinner said he feels the town has a good pool of workers to potentially choose from since numerous people have applied for an open Public Works job and would likely welcome the money.

Selectman Marc Cerniglia said the town should try to get the labor for minimum wage and not start with $15.

But the town may also get the workers for virtually free by using an inmate work program that would utilize "low level, non-violent" inmates from Somers Prison.

Skinner said he has extensive experience with the program from his hometown of Suffield and said it has worked well. Skinner said he realizes it would be new for Canton and there can be perceptions about the program. But the workers come in and do the work like any other laborer and are supervised at all times — but not in a dramatic, Hollywood fashion — he added. 

He would have to transport the individuals into town but is willing to do so at his own cost, Skinner said. The town would pay $1.75 a day for each inmate. 

The Department of Corrections generally requires a contract but under the circumstances can find four workers and can give the Public Works employees supervising them a quick training session, Skinner added. 

Selectman Steve Roberto had concerns with the inmate labor.

“We don’t know who they are and we’re bringing them into our community,” he said.

Roberto, who voted against the proposal, said it was questionable to spend as much as $23,000 when the storm had been so expensive, the town had cleared all of its roads and residents ask selectmen to be fiscally conservative and watch their spending. 

Skinner said the town has indeed received numerous requests for the service. He also stated that the cost is very low compared to the bid-required Federal Emergency Management Association Program some neighboring towns are participating in at a cost of more than $1 million.

Skinner said the costs are estimates and assume the crews can average a quarter mile of clean up per hour. He said he feels the estimate is reasonable since many residents have used the transfer station and some roads won’t have much debris.

Democrat Bruce Lockwood made the motion to approve the debris removal and said he feels it is something that needs to be done under the circumstances. He said he also felt it important to allow the town to pay up to the $22,720 so the program can move forward, even if the inmate program does not pan out.

Lockwood said that if the town does not remove debris much would likely sit all winter and possibly interfere with snow removal efforts.

The town will also incur some costs grinding debris but the exact amount has not been determined.

If it turns out the removal is not complete and the funds have been exhausted Skinner will go back to the board at its next meeting.

Skinner said he asks residents who can bring their brush to the transfer station so the town does complete the program as inexpensively as possible. Selectmen also talked briefly about the storm and the town’s preparedness and services.

The town will likely prepare an assessment of its reaction and response to the storm. Barlow said restorations were on track and he had been told Wednesday afternoon that 20 customers remained without power. During the meeting it was down to one and while Barlow said the CL&P Web site has proved unreliable, the power situation looked positive. (As of Thursday morning, the company showed no customers in town without power.) 

The town may incur up to $12,000 for removing damaged or hanging trees in the town's right of way. CL&P has agreed to help with the effort, Skinner said, bt a private company may be needed for "complicated" cuttings near houses.

The town continues to offer some storm-related services but no one has needed overnight shelter facilities in several days. 

Lockwood and Roberto said they want to somehow acknowledge all the volunteers who helped at the town’s shelter and elsewhere.

“I want to thank everyone who volunteered their time during this storm,” Roberto said.

Barlow said the town really came together.

“The last two weeks we’ve truly been a community, not a town,” he said.

He and others also thanked Lockwood and Cerniglia for their time on the board since it was their last meeting as selectmen. Lockwood did not seek re-election and Cerniglia was not elected.

Those elected will be sworn in Nov. 20. Tom Sevigny and Lowell Humphrey will be new to the board.