City of Newton plans a second pass to pick up additional tree debris

Beginning Sept. 14, the City of Newton’s Public Works crews will be doing a second pass throughout the city to pick up any additional tree debris that residents may have.

Similar to the first wave of clean up, tree debris should be no longer than 6 feet in length. Crews will be using large equipment to pull piles of tree debris into streets, loading into trucks and taking to the Newton Sanitary Landfill.

Piles should be kept clear of mailboxes, water valves, manholes and fire hydrants. When the crews pull the piles off the curb, they do not want to damage these items.

Street parking is not recommended through Sept. 18. If a pile of debris is blocked by a parked vehicle, it may not be picked up. Keeping vehicles off the street will make it easier for the crews to work.

Debris piles should not contain any other debris or garbage. Piles with anything other than fallen tree debris will not be collected. Do not include fencing, furniture, playground equipment, appliances, grills, etc. in with the tree debris.

The Newton Sanitary Landfill is not charging City of Newton residents for tree debris drop off at the Landfill. The City of Newton is covering the tree disposal fee for Newton residents who drop their own tree debris off at the Newton Sanitary Landfill through Sept. 30.

For more information, contact the City of Newton Public Works office at 641-792-6622.

Additionally on Thursday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced in a press release the disaster proclamation for counties, including Jasper, impacted by the Aug. 10 derecho would be extended.

The proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather in Audubon, Benton, Boone, Cass, Cedar, Clarke, Clinton, Dallas, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hardin, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Madison, Marshall, Muscatine, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Story, Tama and Washington counties.

In addition, the proclamation temporarily suspends regulatory provisions pertaining to weight limits and hours of service for disaster repair crews and drivers delivering goods and services and the movement of loads related to responding to the severe storm system throughout the state of Iowa.

For more information on assistance available for individuals impacted by the storm, visit the compiled list of resources at https://bit.ly/326ti69 or visit the city's dedicated webpage for storm update at newtongov.org/auguststormupdates.