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Published online 1/6/2008 12:20 AM

McPherson mayor says residents prefer to pick up own limbs

By Mary Clarkin - The Hutchinson News - mclarkin@hutchnews.com

McPHERSON - McPherson Mayor William Goering said Friday that residents are "making great progress" in the cleanup of tree limbs broken by recent ice and snow storms.

Unlike Hutchinson, where city crews are hauling off stacks of limbs in residential neighborhoods, the city of McPherson has left that task to the private sector.

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"Our people, as a general rule, feel that the government is not the first place to go to get these things done," Goering said.

He said neighbors, volunteers and church groups have pitched in to help haul limbs to a nearby transfer station managed by McPherson Area Solid Waste Utility.

"I think most of the people did it themselves," said John Hawk, general manager of the McPherson Area Solid Waste Utility.

Goering said he personally hasn't received a single complaint by telephone, although he said his fellow commissioners, Robert Moore and Michael Alkire, have heard criticism.

At a study session Monday morning, commissioners will discuss what role - if any - the city should take beyond its own cleanup of city property, streets and parks.

It's hard to gauge how long such a cleanup would take, said City Administrator Gary Meagher.

The community has done a good job, Meagher said, but there's quite a bit left.

"Once you commit to it, you have to make sure they can do it," he said.

In Hutchinson, the job will run through March.

Individuals dropping off limbs at the McPherson transfer station are not charged, and for several weeks, Meagher noted, the charge to contractors was waived.

"We are going to try our very best to get as many limbs and other storm debris over to the transfer station by private means," Goering said.

"If there are still some later on that are invalid, or just plainly cannot seem to make it work, we'll try to make a call-in effort or something like that," he said.