Summer is finally here , and despite our unusually mild winter , we ’ re all glad to see a break in the weather ! Public Works will of course be around maintaining roads and infrastructure as much as the beautiful trees , shrubs , and plants in our park . Brownsville Road is ready for its close-up , with our veterans ’ banners , American flags , and flower baskets all hung and ready to welcome warmer weather ! Don ’ t forget to say hi as you see us passing by !
As always , we ask that you park your vehicles in your driveway whenever possible , as the Borough ’ s MS4 permit requires us to sweep our roadways and try to reduce the sediments and chemicals that can get into our waterways , rivers , and creeks . This , of course , is a task made easier when we don ’ t have to navigate the street sweeper around vehicles . While not everyone has a driveway or a parking pad they can use , please know that using off-street parking not only saves us time spent sweeping , but also helps us save the environment and keep the borough clean !
After receiving several inquiries from our residents , two items we would like to address for clarification are the terms “ right-of-way ” and “ paper street .” In layman ’ s terms , a right-of-way is designed for entities , such as utility companies , to install utilities that may be located above or below ground . Although a deed shows property lines next to the “ right-of-way ” line ( which sits back from the street on your survey ), residents are responsible for maintaining the right-of-way up to the curb or paving of a street or alley . The most common item in a right-of-way that property owners are familiar with is a sidewalk . It ’ s common knowledge that a property owner must keep their sidewalk clear and accessible because they own it and are responsible for it , but what gives the public the ability to use the sidewalk is specifically because it ’ s in the right-of-way . Without this
BRENTWOOD DPW NEWS
in place , you would have to jump into the street to get past anyone ’ s property without trespassing !
Sometimes , a right-of-way will run through an area like a resident ’ s backyard . While the Borough has several rights-of-way throughout the area , we are not responsible for maintaining them ; instead , having a right-of-way simply allows us access to maintain a storm sewer or other Boroughowned infrastructure in the area . Just as we don ’ t maintain the sidewalks because we don ’ t own them , we don ’ t maintain any rights-of-way that we don ’ t expressly own . So , what does the Borough actually own , then ? We own certain public steps and walkways throughout the Borough that we shovel , keep clear , and keep accessible for the public to use , and we go out of our way to keep these areas clean and usable . We ask that property owners do the same with the items that they own in the right-of-way , such as their sidewalks , trees , hedges , and grass .
A “ paper street ” is different from a “ right-of-way ”. While a right-of-way allows access for entities to maintain infrastructure , a paper street is a street that was initially designed for a developer ’ s plan of a neighborhood . It ’ s not an official Borough-owned street though , because the street was never accepted by the Borough . Why is that ? The street was never actually constructed by the developer , only drawn out on the initial paper plan , hence the etymology of the term “ paper street ”. Legally , this street can never be opened as a drivable street or be used as a road , and because these paper streets often double as rights-of-way they need to kept clear of structures and obstructions to allow access for entities that need to get back there . Twenty-one years after the developer first approved the street , the rights to this area officially reverted back to the adjacent
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property owners . What that means for anyone next to these paper streets is that residents on either side should maintain to the centerline of the paper street . The area within the paper street is thus no different than the remainder of an adjacent yard — just like cutting the grass within the boundaries of your yard , you should treat the paper street the same way and cut all the way to the centerline .
To comply with requirements set down by the Department of Environment Protection and to receive credit for all the recycling that we and our residents do , any resident can bring their yard waste down to the Public Works building and place it in the designated dumpsters . The Borough has three blue dumpster bins for yard waste located at the Public Works building at 4583 East Willock Road , and residents can bring yard waste for disposal from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM .
So , what do we class as yard waste ? Yard waste consists of grass clippings , leaf waste , tree branches ( under 4 ” diameter ), and any type of vegetation . If you decide to use the bins , please make sure to bring identification with you showing proof of residence , as this is not a service for contractors to use to dump a load of items off ! Please also do not use the bins as a method for disposing of concrete , treated wood , or garbage .
Be advised that wood chipping only takes place on certain days of the year , and our crew will be out by appointment only to chip any trees or shrubs . If tree-trimming and other shrub and tree maintenance is on your task list for the summer , make sure to read that information , make notes of those dates , and call or email us to make your appointment . Some items cannot be chipped , such as root balls and excessively tangled branches , and for the safety of our residents and employees ( as well as the maintenance of the woodchipper ), our DPW crew operating the woodchipper has the final say on what can and cannot be chipped . rentwood
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BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL ❘ SUMMER 2024 47