Dear Action Line: While we love our Durango Fall Cleanup, things got confused this year. As we all know (except that guy down the street who piled up old furniture, carpet scraps and a dented mini-fridge), the fall collection is for yard waste. Pile tree trunks, brush bits and bags of dead plant bits along the curb, and the great people from the city will scoop and remove them. Except this year. In my neighborhood, crews went through with front end loaders and dump trucks and took the slash piles, but left rows of paper bags. There may be some confusion now that the city is partnering with the compost gang, who wants our dead leaves. But according to the city’s Fall Cleanup info, “Bagged or boxed loose brush and leaves” are still legal tender. – Left Holding the Bag
Dear Left Holding: Two weeks ago, Action Line covered the Fall Cleanup issue, specifically regarding leaves, then received a flurry of (OK, three) emails with more or similar concerns. Tish in Crestview pointed out: “Sadly, the bags of leaves and twigs are still setting next to the curb awaiting pickup. Soon it will start raining and the paper bags will fall apart, spewing their contents into the gutter and generally making a mess!”
Another reader said he was having trouble connecting with “the compost gang” – Table to Farm Compost – which will pick up as many as 10 bags of leaves for those eligible for the city’s fall and spring pickups.
There are perfectly reasonable explanations for the glitches. To start:
“The city of Durango was in contact with a mysterious Druid who had assured us that the local bear population would eat all those leaves,” said Marty Pool, the city’s sustainability manager. “Turns out the ‘Druid’ was likely an overseas operative bent on spreading misinformation. Next time we’ll be sure to go with a trusted source like Bear Smart Durango.”
And druids are usually so reliable …
Pool then got serious. There are still a couple of bugs to work out. He said the city contracted this year with Table to Farm to collect bagged leaves for residents who desired an extended period for fallen leaf pickup. “Folks also wanted to see their leaves put to good use, like composting, rather than ending up in the landfill,” he said.
“Overall the service has run smoothly, but there have been a handful of locations where city crews didn’t collect bagged leaves, assuming the resident had intended to have their leaves collected by Table to Farm instead,” Pool said last week. “We are working to circle back to these sites as quickly as possible.”
Table to Farm Compost, meanwhile, was also anxious to add some thoughts and clarifications “based on some misunderstandings we have been hearing,” said Monique DiGiorgio, managing member of the group.
Only a handful of residents had signed up for the leaf pickup as of mid-October, she said. The way to do this is through the website.
“Since the program is on-demand, the leaves may not get picked up on your recycling day or on your compost day if you are a Table to Farm customer,” DiGiorgio said. “So, don’t think you have been missed if the leaves are not picked up on one of your regular service days.”
She said that Table to Farm had connected with the Action Line reader who had concerns, and worked out a time to pick up his bags. The reader, in turn, told Action Line that he is thankful for Table to Farm’s efforts and optimistic the program will work.
“We will be doing our best over the next month to respond as quickly as we can to pick up those leaf bags,” DiGiorgio said. “Since this is the first year of the program, we are all ears on improvements for future years.”
The Table to Farm leaf collecting service continues through Nov. 29. More information can be found at tabletofarmcompost.com or www.durangoco.gov/346/Spring-and-Fall-Cleanup.
One more option is the upcoming Pumpkin and Leaf Drop-Off event Nov. 2 and 3 at the La Plata County Fairgrounds: www.durangoco.gov/1031/Pumpkin-Drop-off.
Action Line wrote last week’s column about the pedestrian crossing at 12th Street and Camino del Rio assuming that drivers understood the concept of right-of-way. Action Line forgot the old cliché about assuming, and the making an ass out of you and me thing.
Reader Mary Mullen, although appreciative of Action Line’s effort and refraining from calling him an ass, emphasized that some drivers do not fully grasp right-of-way. The Colorado State Patrol concurs:
As stated on the csp.colorado.gov website, “While driving on Colorado’s roadways seems like a simple task, crash statistics continue to rise in accidents related to drivers failing to yield right-of-way. … While it seems like a no-brainer, the message can’t be reiterated enough: Pay attention and wait your turn.”
Keeping the focus on pedestrians, Mullen emphasized that at crosswalks (such as the several along East Third Avenue), or at stop signs, pedestrians have the right-of-way. (As stated last week, the flashing red at 12th and Camino functions as a stop sign.)
One final point: Many pedestrians are hit when vehicles are turning right at an intersection or from a driveway or parking lot, because the driver is looking left to make sure no one’s coming.
We could go on and on about right-of-way, and perhaps someday we will (again), but Action Line is ready to yield to the next story in your queue.
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Mrs. Action Line’s pet peeve: Drivers not signaling, which adds to the unnecessary confusion.
