[Durham INC] Durham Suspends Solid Waste Collections Today

Tue Jan 11 10:33:42 EST 2011

CITY OF DURHAM

Office of Public Affairs

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC 27701

News Release

For Details, Contact:

Amy Blalock

Sr. Public Affairs Specialist

(919) 560-4123 x 11253

(919) 475-7735 (cell)

Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov

For Immediate Release:  January 11, 2011

Durham Suspends Curbside Solid Waste Collections Today

Multiple Meetings Canceled for Today; City Hall Operating Under Its
Normal Schedule

DURHAM, N.C. - Due to today's winter precipitation and the continued icy
conditions on many secondary streets, the City of Durham has suspended
curbside solid waste collections for Tuesday customers. 

The City's Department of Solid Waste Management will collect curbside
solid waste, recycling, yard waste, and bulky items for Tuesday
customers on Wednesday, January 12. Customers are asked to leave their
carts on their curb overnight for collection tomorrow and are reminded
not to block access to their carts with parked vehicles. Tuesday
customers are asked to wait until Thursday, January 13 to contact Durham
One Call at (919) 560-1200 to report a missed collection.

Collection for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday customers for all
services, which includes solid waste, recycling, yard waste, and bulky
items, will now be delayed by one business day for the entire week.
Collections for yard waste and bulky items on Friday, January 14 will
instead occur on Saturday, January 15.

The City's Waste Disposal and Recycling Center (Transfer Station) closed
at 10 a.m. today and the City's Household Hazardous Waste Center is
closed today as well. City Hall is open and operating under its normal
schedule. 

The Durham Planning Commission meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at City
Hall, has been canceled. Agenda items will be moved to the February 8,
2011 meeting. The Durham Open Space & Trails Committee, scheduled for 7
p.m. at City Hall, has also been canceled.

In addition, Durham Parks and Recreation (DPR) has canceled its
afterschool programs today. DPR facilities and programs will also be
closed today through tomorrow at noon. All City parks that have entrance
gates will be closed until tomorrow at noon. Those parks include
Bethesda, Herndon, Old Chapel Hill Road, Pineywood, Sherwood, Southern
Boundaries, Twin Lakes, and Valley Springs. The DPR Administrative
Office, located at 400 Cleveland Street, is open today and will open
tomorrow at 8 a.m. as scheduled. The Recreation Advisory Commission
meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, January 12 at 7:30 a.m. at DPR, has
also been canceled.

The City's Street Maintenance Division in the Public Works Department
has been working in 24-hour operation mode since yesterday morning,
using 34 trucks with plows and loaded salt-and-sand spreaders to tackle
icy city streets. Crews will remain in full operation until midnight;
then one crew will work overnight to focus on trouble spots with crews
returning at 7 a.m. to continue work on city streets. The City's Fleet
Management Department has also been working in 24-hour operation mode
since yesterday, busy keeping all City vehicles and equipment up and
running.

Residents and property owners are responsible for snow and ice removal
in their driveways, apartment access roads, parking lots, and sidewalks.
The clearing of private streets is the responsibility of the homeowners
within that subdivision. In order to facilitate snow and ice removal on
city streets, residents can help by adhering to the following tips:

*         Stay off the roads if at all possible.  If you must drive, be
sure you have good all-weather tires or chains.

*         If at all possible, park your car off the street or highway to
let salt-and-sand spreaders pass with ease.

*         If your problem is a life-or-death emergency, call 911.

Durham residents are also reminded to be careful of downed power lines
and should report them to Duke Energy at 1-800-POWERON (1-800-769-3766)
or in Spanish at 1-866-4APAGON (1-866-427-2466). 

To report downed trees on city streets, contact the Durham Emergency
Communications Center Non-Emergency line at (919) 560-4600 unless the
downed tree presents an immediate, life-threatening hazard; then
motorists should call 911. 

Finally, the Durham Police Department advises motorists to treat
intersections with malfunctioning traffic lights as four-way stops and
proceed with caution. The department is also urging motorists to not
drive unless absolutely necessary. If residents must drive, motorists
should drive very slowly and carefully. If involved in a property damage
wreck, motorists should pull off the road to prevent additional
accidents and remember that it may take some additional time for an
officer to respond to the accident due to icy road conditions.

For additional information on other City services, facilities, or
programs that may be affected by today's winter precipitation, contact
Durham One Call at (919) 560-1200, visit the City's website at 
www.DurhamNC.gov or tune into DTV8 either on Time Warner Cable channel 8
or online at www.DurhamNC.gov/DTV8. 

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