Jackson city officials to clean up leaves

JACKSON, Tenn. — Residents all over Jackson agree that they’re tired of the problems that leaves cause in their neighborhoods.

“It’s always a problem around here because when it pours rain like it did the other day, all of the drains get covered up, and the streets get flooded,” said LANA resident Patty Simpson.

Simpson is one of many residents dealing with leaf problems.

“Every winter, it’s a problem. This year, it seems to be more so because the way the weather has been,” Simpson said.

She, and everyone else, can breathe a sigh of relief because Mayor Scott Conger made a special announcement about the issue.

“We’ve called on our department directors and other employees to volunteer to help pick up leaves for the holiday season,” Conger said. “People have Christmas parties, holiday parties, New Year’s parties, and so they want their properties to look nice.”

The city will run four leaf trucks starting Saturday at 7:30 a.m. to clean up as much as possible.

Although this effort is a temporary fix for now, resident Carol Luckey looks forward to the cleanup.

“I think it’s going to help a lot, especially after all of the rain we’ve had because we’ve had water backing up on the curb when the leaves run over and stop up the drains,” Luckey said.

Officials say the city will create a new leaf cleanup system as a long-term plan.

If you want the crews to come by your house, call Jackson’s new hotline 311, and they’ll add your address to the list.

Make sure to have your request in by Friday at noon.