Pompano to move dumped Irma debris

Pompano Beach was piling the city’s Hurricane Irma debris in one neighborhood, but after receiving complaints from residents, it has pledged to remove the mountain of waste within a week.

The city collected enough debris to fill in a box as high and wide as a typical truck trailer — if it were 3 miles long.

That rankled some residents with a front row seat to it. “It might be the quickest way, but it’s not the most sanitary way for us,” said Katheryn Gillis, who lives in the 200 block of Northwest 15th Place.

She said she’s afraid the high piles of debris will attract rats and roaches. In response to the complaints, city officials have pledged the debris would be gone in a week. It’ll all be relocated to the dump.

Commissioner Beverly Perkins said it was “disrespectful” that she was not informed her district would be the initial dumping place for the rest of the city.

Any additional hurricane debris that’s collected now will be taken to the southwest corner of Southwest Third Street and Powerline Road, a property owned by Isle Casino, said Greg Harrison, city manager. Isle Casino is lending the city its property for the newest debris staging area, city officials said.

That elicited some sarcasm Commissioner Barry Moss, who represents District 5, where the new staging area will be located.

“The residents of our district are happy to have it come to District 5, because we put the well-being of the city at large above our own temporary, momentary inconvenience,” he said, noting that the new piles will be adjacent to condo buildings with units.

The city says a staging area for the debris is essential to speed up the debris collection. If the city trucks were to pick up the neighborhoods’ debris and total of 1,963 go directly to the dump, the debris removal could last through December, Harrrison said.

Sandra King, city spokeswoman, said Pompano started debris removal Friday, well ahead of some other cities’ cleanup efforts.

The city was so well-organized to receive the debris, the city’s Public Works Department has 40 trucks working on the gargantuan task.

MICHAEL LAUGHLIN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Andrew Burns looks at the large pile of debris from Hurricane Irma that was dumped by the city of Pompano Beach in the vacant property across from his house on Northwest 15th Place. The mountain of waste drew complaints from residents.