Parish says contractors will finish storm debris routes soon; parish trucks to continue pickups

Avoyelles Parish staff updated the Solid Waste Committee on storm-debris cleanup and mattress and white‑goods collection across several affected areas.

Kevin (speaker 3) said crews pushed and consolidated debris in the Plocerville–DuPont and Cottonport areas so trucks could run continuous routes and finish most roadside pickups by the end of the week. He said crews staged mattresses at single collection points so a truck could pick multiple items without repeated stops.

Contractors remain on site this week but were scheduled to be released at the end of the month, Kevin said; parish crews will continue debris and storm-related collection through the end of July and will handle subsequent pickups with parish trucks if necessary. He said hazardous‑waste pickup has been light — roughly 10–12 cans of paint were staged for collection in DuPont — and that anything classified as hazardous will be handled separately.

Kevin also described how residents should report storm debris and how staff triage calls: parish staff log incoming calls and mark whether items are storm debris to schedule truck service. He reiterated dump hours (Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–4 p.m.; Saturday 7 a.m.–11 a.m.) and asked residents to place material where trucks can reach it; where debris is under trees or behind lines, staff may need to move it with skid steers.

Committee members noted remaining problem areas — Bartleville (picked up once so far), Simsport and parts of Highway 1 — and several members thanked volunteer groups (Southern Baptist, 8 Days of Hope, Samaritan’s Purse and local churches) for helping move material. Kevin said parish staff will continue coordination with contractors and volunteers and will seek route lists from contractors to avoid missed roads.

There was no formal vote on debris operations during the meeting.