Battle Creek Times

As city and Consumers Energy crews work to clean up hundreds of trees down and thousands of power lines down, the City of Battle Creek will provide citywide tree debris pickup, starting next Wednesday, March 1.

We hope the brief delay will give Consumers time to repair power lines down in the city.

Here’s what you need to know:

• This special pickup is for only neighbors inside City of Battle Creek limits.
• You must get the debris to your curb, or the edge of the street if you don’t have a curb. You can drag it as-is, and do not have to cut up anything. Please try to keep debris off the sidewalks. We cannot remove debris from your yard.
• This special pickup is only for tree debris – branches and limbs – and is not a garbage or bulk item pickup. Save those items for your regular garbage day.
• Do not move tree debris if a power line is down nearby. Please wait for Consumers to repair the wire before moving debris on your property.
• We plan to work through the city once, so please have your debris moved to the curb by next Wednesday.
• If winter weather returns (it is in the forecast for Monday), our crews must go back to plowing snow and other winter maintenance. They will return to tree debris pickup until they have worked through the city.
• This special pickup likely will take several weeks to complete. We appreciate your patience.

Other important things you should know:

• If you see trees/limbs down, especially if they are in the street, and they are NOT touching a power line, you can call us to report it at 269-966-3311.
• If you need to check the status of a power outage, or report a power line down, contact Consumers Energy directly at 800-477-5050 or consumersenergy.com. Be aware that they have experienced some technical difficulties today, and keep trying.
• If you see a power line sparking, or another emergency that could cause immediate danger, please call 911. You can also text 911 in Calhoun County. Simply send a text with your situation to the number 9-1-1.
• As the temperature warms, the ice is melting, and we are seeing chunks fall from trees and power lines. Please be alert for this as you are out in the community.
• Regular curbside yard waste pickup inside Battle Creek city limits begins the week of April 10.

Original source can be found here.