Starting at 8 a.m. Monday morning, City of Great Bend crews will begin the gargantuan task of the citywide cleanup, said Public Works Director Jason Cauley. This is necessitated by last Sunday’s massive supercell thunderstorm that ripped apart many trees in the community resulting in piles of limbs and other debris lining streets.

Here are the guidelines for the cleanup provided by the city:

• If one is unable to take their own limbs to the city Compost Site, they are asked gather them at the edge of their yard by the curb. 

– The city asks that piles be placed within three feet of the street curb line.

– Trees and limbs should be cut to six feet or shorter to help city efforts and cleanup.

– Residents should have them to the curb by the street no later than 8 a.m. Monday. 

• The city will drive every neighborhood to pick up tree parts that are gathered along the curb. However, crews will only drive by one time, so make it a priority to get trees and limbs gathered in place by first thing Monday. 

• Through the next two weeks starting Monday, residents are asked to park in driveways and not to block or impede limbs and piles until they are gone. If they are inaccessible the pile will be left, Cauley said.  

• The city still needs volunteer groups willing to go help a big list of citizens in need. Anyone or any group willing to help, can contact Cauley at jcauley@greatbendks.net. 

Cauley said  they will divide the city into sections and dispatch crews and equipment to these areas. The effort will continue until the cleanup is complete.

The compost site

Throughout the  cleanup, Cauley said the public lower part of the city’s Compost Site will remain in operation as usual. The site is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

However, the upper area where the burning takes place will not be open to the public as it has been periodically since the storm, he said. Burning will continue to take place.

For more information, contact City Hall at 620-793-4111.