Clark Mayor, Council Warns Residents about Leaving Branches, Blowing Snow on Streets

Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso urged residents to move any branches they have on the streets, telling them that the Department of Public Works will not pick them up until next year. 

Bonaccorso, along with Council President Frank Mazzarella, told residents to move any branches they have on the curb of the road back onto their property, "or the DPW will do it for you," Mazzrella said. 

Bonaccorso said the town has been lenient with street cleaning because of the October 31 snow storm that ravaged the area, leaving Clark "worse than Irene," he said. 

As a result, the DPW extended street cleaning efforts past December 10, which is normally the last day for picking up leaves on the sides of streets.

But now, Bonaccorso said some residents are taking advantage of the services, and the town will not cooperate any longer. 

"I got to be a bit arrogant about this, a bit strong," he said. "But residents are taking advantage of the town and it's becoming a safety issue."

If there are branches on the street, the DPW will move it back onto the front lawn, he said. 

Mazzarella said residents should consider contracting a private company to dispose of the branches, or they can leave them in their backyards until March when the services begin again. 

Mazzarella said he also saw a number of houses putting old couches and furniture on the street, and said that they will not be picked up until next year as well.

Bonaccorso also warned residents to be careful of the pending snow that will eventually hit the area, and to be considerate with snow plowing their driveways.

He said that residents may be fined if they are blow snow from their driveways into the streets after they have been plowed.

"If this area is asphalt, and this area is snow, and the next area is asphalt, you don't have to be a Clark police detective to figure out who is blowing snow in the streets," he said.

Residents can blow snow into the streets if they have not been plowed yet. "We are realistic with this," Bonaccorso said.

But if a street has been plowed, there should not be any other snow on the street for safety reasons, he said. 

Residents who live near schools and businesses should be especially diligent with plowing to make sure there won't be any accidents, he said.