Leaf collection set to start Oct. 20 in village

Leaf pickup in the Village of Fredonia will begin Tuesday, Oct. 20, on the west side of the railroad tracks and then alternate each Tuesday between the east and west sides until Nov. 17.     

Residents are asked to rake their leaves to the curb no more than 72 hours before collection.  

The village’s leaf vacuum will not be in use. As a result, village workers cannot pick up leaves on residential lawns because they will be scooping up leaves with their loader into a truck.

The Village Board last month voted to buy a new leaf vacuum for $55,000 to replace the old 1957 model that had been used. Most of the money will come from an account created for that purpose.

The old leaf vacuum, which operates from a trailer, will be auctioned along with a village car and a furnace that had been used to heat the former fire station.

Officials said the furnace had only been used for two or three years before the current fire station was built. It can heat up to 3,500 square feet and is worth about $2,000, Public Works Director Roger Strohm told trustees.