BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

MASSENA — Massena Village Trustees have established a public hearing for July 18 to possibly allow for the use of paper bags for curbside pickup.

The news came from the board’s recent meeting on May 17.

Officials say a public hearing is necessary because village code would be amended, eventually requiring the use of paper bags instead of plastic ones for curbside service.

Department of Public Works Superintendent Marty Miller said that the code book needs to be updated “that we’re going to go to paper bags and paper bags only. Paper bags just speed up the process.”

Miller told trustees that one hangup with the cleanup process is the DPW workers need to tear open all plastic bags before dumping the leaves into the refuse truck.

With the use of paper bags, workers can throw the entire bag into the truck and move on much quicker.

“We’re probably one of the only communities here that is still allowing this. They’ve gone to paper,” Miller said.

Officials say a change could come this fall, with Mayor Greg Paquin saying the village has time to implement the change this summer.

According to Paquin, officials hope to have the change in place by July or August at the latest in order to “do a media blitz on that.”

Regarding curbside pickup, Paquin also raised further concerns regarding brush pickup and people that he said are going “above and beyond.”

Paquin said some residents are abusing the privilege, with DPW staff collecting multiple rounds of brush.

“At the end of the day, though, the DPW in the past and the present and the future are going to continue to pick it up. But, it’s just taken some more time than we’d like and some things are going to change. I think the change will be for the better,” Paquin said.

Some changes coming for brush pickup next year include specific zones with different timeframes for pickup.

Each zone will have two weeks designated for that specific zone’s pickup for leaves and brush.

In addition to the new zones, residents will have the ability to take leaves and brush to the old DPW site at the end of May or early June, Paquin said.

Paquin said the gate has been left open to allow for drop off by residents, who he said were very complimentary of the system.

According to Paquin, the drop off option has worked very well and benefits DPW and residents alike, allowing staff to focus on other areas around the village.

Paquin noted that the drop off site is open seven days per week.

“I do appreciate everybody that’s used it the way we intended it to be used,” Paquin said.