Public Works 'Heroes' Thanked for Storm Cleanup

At the risk of causing embarrassment, Hellertown Borough Manager Cathy Kichline said she wanted to publicly thank Public Works Director Tom Henshaw and his employees for their swift response to that brought down tree limbs and clogged borough streets and sidewalks with debris.

Kichline made the announcement during her report at Borough Council's Nov. 7 meeting.

She said she has been referring to the public works staff as the borough's "heroes" ever since they sprang into action following the unusual weather event, which also cut power to most Hellertown residents.

"They did a phenomenal job," Kichline said.

Henshaw, who said the start of curbside leaf pick-up was delayed a week as a result of the massive cleanup effort, called the amount of debris produced by the storm "unbelievable."

He said 10 truck-loads of brush had to be cleared from Constitution Avenue alone, part of which had to be closed during and following the storm.

Referring to his employees, Henshaw said that "they did a tough job, (and) they did it well."

Over at the Saucon Valley Compost Center on Springtown Hill Road, record numbers of borough and township residents have been arriving to drop off debris ever since the storm struck, he also noted.

"We're getting a lot of people," Henshaw said, adding that they stopped counting the number of cars last week because it was so busy.

Kichline later said that about 400 residents visited the compost center the weekend after the storm.

Some residents made five trips or more in a day just to drop off the branches brought down by the weight of the snow, and people were still arriving to drop off yard waste at five minutes before closing over the weekend, Henshaw said.

The compost center remains open for extended hours in response to community need.

The center, which is located at 2011 Springtown Hill Road in Lower Saucon Township, is open from 7am to 3pm through Friday, Nov. 11, and will be open from 9am to 5pm on Saturday, Nov. 12 and Sunday, Nov. 13.

Normal seasonal operating hours for the compost center are Fridays and Saturdays, 9am to 1pm.