Fall officially started last week.  Already the weather has cooled down, the leaves are starting to change color and many are falling from their trees.

The Perry Public Works Department has plans to help try and keep the sewer drains clear by running the street sweeper in the coming weeks.

Deputy Public Works Director Josh Wuebker says though you may see this being done outside of regular hours, don’t worry it’s not costing the City any extra money.

“We’re probably going to try and run a couple shifts with two different guys doing that, so we can really stay on top of the leaves.  You’re probably going to see that street sweeper running on Saturdays and Sundays.  I know last year they had a few questions about if we were paying overtime for that, we’re not.  We had one of our employees graciously volunteer to work Saturday through Wednesday.  So that helps us out a lot, we can keep that sweeper going seven days a week.”

Wuebker reminds residents that it’s impossible for them to get all of the leaves with any sort of machine so everyone is encouraged to help out by pulling leaves and brush out of sewer intakes near their homes and businesses to help prevent backups.  Additionally, Wuebker says mulching up your yard can also help make the process easier for all involved.