Cape storm debris can be placed at curbsides

Public works crews will be scouring Cape Girardeau to pick up tree debris over the next several days.

Steve Cook, the city's assistant public works director, said he knows "some people won't get them out for a day or so, but they can place them at the curb. We'll come by with dump trucks and chain saws and get it taken care of."

Cook said the wood will be hauled to a holding area.

"Once or twice a year, we grind it up for mulch and give the mulch away. We take it out to Arena Park," he said. "It's free mulch, double ground. Not the quality you'd get from a nursery, but it's pretty good."

He said crews were already at work Thursday and expect to continue picking up the wood, as weather permits, over the next several days.

He said homeowners should "set it out as soon as possible."

In Jackson, Mayor Barbara Lohr said she didn't see much tree-related storm damage. She said the city sets aside a week each month for collecting yard waste and residents should use their regular yard waste dates to put the wood at the curbside.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127