Sandy Collection Underway in Bernardsville

If Bernardsville looks a little like a logging town these days, it's because a contractor hired to remove logs and other wood debris from Superstorm Sandy left at the curbside on borough roads has started the job on Monday, and is expected to continue for about five or six weeks, borough officials said.

The contractor, AshBritt, is being assisted by the borough's public works department. Borough workers are clearing smaller debris from road rights-of-way in an effort to keep costs down, said Bernardsville Mayor Lee Honecker.

However, AshBritt and subcontractors are removing the large logs placed alongside many borough roads, and they are trucking the big loads out of town to what the mayor said is a location in western Morris County for a staging area for the operation.

Collection will only take place once per street

"It is important to note that the contractor and borough staff will be making only one sweep per street," Honecker said. "So if they have already been to your street, nothing else will be taken."

As had been discussed at last week's borough council meeting, Honecker said debris left behind should then be removed. "If that debris is blocking the right-of-way, the property owner shall be subject to police enforcement," the mayor added.

The Bernardsville Council agreed late last November and hired a contractor to do the job for about $365,000.

However the piles placed along curbsides by residents had grown by early January, while officials made final plans for the job and also sought for a few acres of land to allow the contractor to collect, place and chip the wood.

At a Borough Council meeting earlier this month, officials reporting that the original estimate of 10,000 cubic yards of material would need to be revised at about 44,000 or even more than 50,000 cubic yards since residents continued to place more logs, branches and brush alongside borough roads.

As of prior to last week, the cost of collection and chipping had soared to about $1.6 million — or possibly more — according to figures released at last week's Bernardsville Borough Council meeting.

Officials expect at least three-quarters of that account will eventually be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Managency Agency (FEMA), but the borough will need to put out some of those funds initially.

Honecker said contractor had found a location in Ledgewood, a section of Roxbury Township, which he said he understood to be within the 15-mile radius requirement from the borough.

Borough Public Works Manager John Macdowell said the job should last between five to six weeks.

Honecker said the information will be put on the borough website and the police department's website.

Borough officials held a discussion with the contractor on Wednesdy for an update, Honecker said.