The City of Great Falls has begun its annual leaf pickup operation, with crews working systematically through the Boulevard District to vacuum up piles of autumn leaves from residential areas.
City Forester Todd Seymanski outlined the collection route, which covers six designated areas across the district.
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"We got six areas. It kind of started on the north side of Central on 38th Street, and we'll work our way down to Park Drive, jump over to the west side. And then we'll come back on the lower start on the west end of the lower south side and work our way up to Great Falls High School," Seymanski said.
"Unfortunately, we had to cut back some positions, so we're kind of short on, takes two people to run the vehicle," Seymanski said.
City officials are reminding residents that crews will only collect leaves, not other yard waste materials. Mixing different types of debris creates delays and complications for the collection teams.
"A lot of folks, unfortunately, will put sticks and garden waste and stuff in the leaf piles, and we can't, we won't manually separate them. Time is of the essence," Seymanski said.
Senior Arborist Samantha Kohut emphasized that proper leaf placement helps crews work more efficiently. Residents should pile leaves on the boulevard.
"Like it when people pile on the boulevard, not in the street and on the boulevard just makes it a little more challenging for us. If we could just go right along your boulevard and sweep left and right, everything would go really smooth," Kohut said.
The leaf pickup service is funded through tax dollars paid by Boulevard District residents. Crew members take pride in providing quality service to the community that supports their work.
"Especially in the Boulevard district, because they are part of the tax assessment that allows us to have a job to do this. And I know myself and a few of my other coworkers take pride in knowing that what we provide for them is their hard earned, you know, money and homeownership," Kohut said.
