Mayor Bill Jenks, III |
The crazy winter weather patterns continue to
dismay us all living and working in the Ozark Highlands, but that doesn’t mean
we can’t start planning for warmer, spring-like weather and the continuation of
the Reforest Rolla program.
For
those Rolla residents who didn’t have an opportunity to order your free tree
last year, you are in luck. It’s about that time for the City’s Public Works
Department to start sending in the spring order for the Reforest Rolla trees,
and we want to make sure that the folks who haven’t had a chance yet to get
their first tree can. This year the City will again offer nine varieties of
trees, however, the Sweetbay Magnolia, Lacebark Elm and American Hophornbeam
will not be available until fall. To view the trees, the Reforest Rolla
brochure, and an application form to order your new tree, please visit: http://www.rollacity.org/reforest/.
Spearheaded by the City of Rolla’s Engineering Division in the Public
Works Department, the Reforest Rolla program will lead to a comprehensive
management plan to preserve and care for our tree resources, and will reduce
the amount of storm water runoff and erosion by “recycling” rainfall through
absorption and evaporation. Trees absorb rainwater that would otherwise end up
in the storm sewer.
The Reforest Rolla program will lead to the adoption of a tree
management ordinance, the development of the “Reforest Rolla Commission,” the
planting of approximately 100 trees per cycle/season; a city-wide tree
inventory, and eventual recognition as a Tree City USA. By using funds from a
Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) grant program, the city
developed a Reforest Rolla brochure (that was mailed in December 2012 to 9,200
households in the City of Rolla) to educate the citizens of Rolla on the
Reforest Rolla program as well as the benefits of trees. The TRIM grant is
cost-share program provided and administered by the Missouri Department of
Conservation in cooperation with the Missouri Community Forestry Council and
the U.S. Forest Service. It provides financial assistance for the management,
improvement or conservation of our community forests.
If
you are interested in participating in the Reforest Rolla program this spring,
and would like to place an order for a free tree, or learn more about the
program, please contact Anne McClay at 426-6955. Free Reforest Rolla brochures
are also available in the lobby of Rolla City Hall (901 N. Elm Street) and at
the Rolla Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center (located at 1311
Kingshighway).
While
we are on the topic of warmer weather and the coming of spring, I would like to
mention that the City of Rolla Environmental Services Department has resumed
the curbside collection of yard waste in brown paper biodegradable bags. Yard
waste bags (containing leaves, grass clippings and small sticks) should be out
to the curb by 6 a.m. on your regular trash collection day. For more
information, please contact the Environmental Services office at 364-6693 or
visit the City of Rolla Website at www.rollacity.org/waste.
Another popular spring-like event you need to put on your calendars is
the Citywide Clean-Up which will be held on Saturday, April 6. We simply ask
that items be placed to the curb by 6 a.m. Common acceptable items include furniture, beds, toys, microwaves, and
televisions, boxed or bagged trash. Unacceptable
items include major appliances, construction or demolition debris, loose
trash, and brush/yard waste. Loose items should be placed in boxes or bags and
small pieces of lumber should be bundled. We ask that you do not place your
roll-out container to the curb, because during this special clean-up it will
not be emptied.
Due
to a 50 percent decline in materials picked up during the City of Rolla’s
semi-annual Citywide Clean-Up traditionally held the first Saturday in April
and October, the City’s Environmental Services Department will now offer the
clean-up once a year in April. If you have any questions, please call the
Environmental Services Department at 364-6693.
Have
an enjoyable weekend and a safe week!
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