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Prepare Your Yard For Storms: Vegetation Amnesty Days In WPB! · Inside West Palm Beach

14:49:10
Welcome to Inside West Palm
14:49:11
Beach. I'm Gerry Marcelo.
14:49:14
There's no escaping the fact that
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hurricane season 2026 is straight ahead,
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and along with the preps and planning
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every family should be making,
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there's a special opportunity for West
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Palm Beach residents who
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want to weather the next storm.
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We'll talk about it next
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on Inside West Palm Beach.
14:49:40
And joining us today is Calvin Williams,
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a solid waste superintendent for the
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Public Works Department.
14:49:45
Calvin, welcome. Thank
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you, Jerry, for having me.
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One of the things I want to really jump
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right into right away is getting a
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definition of what the Amnesty Days
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program is actually,
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why does it exist and
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what is it supposed to do?
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So, let's go back 20 years ago, Amnesty
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program did start here at
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the city of West Palm Beach,
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giving the opportunity for the residents
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to cut back their vegetation,
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the trees if they wanted to.
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But we do recommend just pruning back,
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not cutting down trees, sustainability.
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So therefore, it's unlimited amount
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during this program.
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So therefore, you could cut as much as
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you can and place it in front of your
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yard and your yard only.
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Do not place it in your neighbor's yard.
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If you have trees, please bag it.
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So therefore, it's
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very important to bag it.
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So therefore, it won't
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clog up your drainage system.
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Okay, so all right.
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Well, it sounds like
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it's a really great idea.
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The unlimited part is what really gets me
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going is that you could theoretically,
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if you've got a big lawn, you got a lot
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of grass, a lot of trees, a lot of things
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that need to trim back to get
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them pretty and get them tight.
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You can have a pretty big pile out in
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front of your house.
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And that's not usually the case.
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Yes, you're absolutely correct.
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This program is just
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for that type, unlimited.
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Now, why is it important for us to be
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prepared by trimming back our lawn, our
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yardscape before
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hurricane season started?
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Is it that big a deal?
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Yes, sir.
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So therefore, just in case a hurricane do
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happen, it lightens up the loads for the
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solid waste team collecting the debris.
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And so that's a great opportunity.
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So we can just go ahead now and place out
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your unlimited lawn leaves.
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And we can come pick it up
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before the hurricane do come.
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So if the hurricane does come, what the
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real danger is, is you're
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going to have branches break.
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You're going to have
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leaves flying everywhere.
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And these things are
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flying projectiles down.
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It could break windows.
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Yeah, it could break windows, damage
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cars, other people property.
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So this is a great opportunity to just
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cut back before the hurricane.
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That makes sense.
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And then you get a
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beautiful lawn for the first time.
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Yeah, I'm getting it summer, right?
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So also, Jerry, I just want to make sure
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that the residents understand that this
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is for residents only.
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This is not for paid contractor.
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Landscapers, they have their cut and
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remove their own debris.
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That is really, really important.
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So landscapers, you
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already got your marching orders.
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You got to go ahead and take
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care of it as you always have.
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This particular offer is specifically for
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residents for them to
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trim back their lawns,
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to make their lawn safer
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during a hurricane season.
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That is correct.
14:52:37
That's correct.
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Now, you mentioned that you
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got to bag up leaves and stuff.
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Why is that important?
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Why can't I just have
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a big pile of stuff?
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So therefore, Jerry, we do not want the
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drains to get clogged up.
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That's very important.
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You know, the streets are flooding.
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We're trying to prevent that.
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So let's take a
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proactive approach on that.
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You know, and actually, that makes
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terrific sense because I know of one of
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the big problems that
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we face when it rains,
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when we have a tropical storm is we get
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tremendous amount of water.
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And if we got, you know, our storm drains
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clogged with leaves and other materials,
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then we're really in big trouble.
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So the idea is to bag it.
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So it's all together so
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it can be moved easily.
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That is correct.
14:53:18
That is correct.
14:53:19
Okay.
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So we touch base on that.
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Now, let's talk about I'm a resident.
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I'm taking care of trimming back trees.
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Am I can I just put a big old 20 foot
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branch down or do I need
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to prepare it for you guys?
14:53:33
No, we recommend you at least cut it by
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four feet, four by 12.
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Right.
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The tree tree trunks, tree trunks, no
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larger than 12 inch diameter.
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Okay.
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So just 12 inches in
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diameter, about four feet long.
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You guys can handle that.
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You just don't put like a
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giant, like half a tree out.
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Absolutely.
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Yes.
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Okay.
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And it'll be very hard for our team to
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break up the arch branch to place it
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safely inside the truck.
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All right.
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Let's hypothetical here.
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Okay.
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We've now gone way past amnesty days.
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We're now into the hurricane season.
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We're under threat of a storm.
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Is that, is that a time to start trimming
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back or is it too late?
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It's definitely too late.
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Once a name tropical storm or hurricane
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is named, we ask residents
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do not cut any trees at all.
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Therefore, our team will not be coming by
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any winds past 35 miles per hour.
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Okay.
14:54:32
Yeah.
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So, all right.
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There's a chance that people will be
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seeing this particular episode past,
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pardon me, past the end of amnesty days.
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Is there, I'm sure there's still a desire
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to try to trim back and make sure, you
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know, in a more modified way, you know,
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getting ready for the hurricane season.
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At that point, you're just doing the
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regular trimming, maybe just really plan
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on smaller amounts, properly bagged as
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part of your regular pickup.
14:54:58
Yes, sir.
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That is correct.
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But the gone are the
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days of the ginormous.
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Yes.
14:55:03
So just from April 27th to May 8th is the
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Unlimited Vegetation Collection.
14:55:09
Okay.
14:55:09
You said this has been
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going on for almost 20 years.
14:55:11
Yes, sir.
14:55:12
It has.
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I got some research from Mr. Pender, a
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Public Works Director.
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Get all the on.
14:55:18
Yes, sir.
14:55:18
He's the man.
14:55:19
Yes, sir.
14:55:19
So, for 20 years, this has been going on
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and you've been a part of it, obviously,
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for a handful of years now,
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seeing how people react to it.
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Do you feel that more and more people are
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taking advantage of the program?
14:55:32
That is sure.
14:55:33
You're absolutely right.
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I see a lot more residents taking
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advantage of this opportunity.
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So, once amnesty is done, if they have
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oversized vegetation
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pile, there is a fee.
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And that's $150 plus dump
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fees that will be tagged on that.
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So, right now, it's a great opportunity
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between April 27th and May 8th to place
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your Unlimited Vegetation Piles out.
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Okay.
14:55:58
So, let's go over some of the ground
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rules again because we
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sort of blasted through it.
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Okay.
14:56:01
Okay.
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So, if I have got lots of leaves and
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trimmings that I've taken off bushes, I
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really should try to put those into bags?
14:56:07
Yes, please.
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Is there a limit on the amount of bags?
14:56:12
No limit, just 4x4x18.
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Okay, just a standard lawn and trash?
14:56:18
Yes, like the size of the parking space.
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Okay.
14:56:22
So, imagine that you have
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an area that would fit a car.
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That's where you can put the stuff.
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Correct. That is correct.
14:56:28
Okay.
14:56:29
I don't want to put it.
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Do I want it a distance away from, say,
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light poles and things?
14:56:33
Yes, you want to make sure it's away from
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your property, mailboxes, power lines,
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underneath trees as well.
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Makes it easier for you guys to pick up.
14:56:42
Absolutely.
14:56:43
Okay.
14:56:44
And so, and then also, if we are trimming
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parts of trees, we want to have a certain
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length about what, 4 feet?
14:56:50
Yes, sir.
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4 feet.
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And about 12?
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12 inch and diameter.
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That is a pretty substantial branch.
14:56:56
Yes.
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So, that's not a small thing.
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So, I guess here's a
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hypothetical for you.
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There is a relative to a
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wall so you can pick up a tree.
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Let me take an entire tree down.
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That falls into a total.
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That falls into a kind of a little bit of
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a special piece of wood.
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So, I'm going to pick that up for this.
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Okay, that's totally stolen.
14:57:17
A good price.
14:57:18
Yes.
14:57:20
The idea is to say, what you're doing is
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you're trimming back trees, making them
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safer and making them healthier.
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So, when there is a wood, when there is a
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storm, you're not going
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to lose your entire tree.
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For worse, the part of the tree blows
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away and strikes
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another bigger than 4 feet.
14:57:37
Making them safer.
14:57:38
Yes, that's what it is to
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keep making things safer.
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Making the crop safer and the city less.
14:57:44
Okay, so if people are interested in
14:57:46
learning more about the property and all
14:57:50
the other things that you guys are
14:57:51
involved in, what's
14:57:52
the best way to do this?
14:57:52
They can either call at 561-822-2075 or
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email Public Works at
14:58:00
publicworks.wpp.org.
14:58:02
Okay, so Public
14:58:03
Works.pp.org is very good.
14:58:06
Very good.
14:58:07
Well, this has been very educational.
14:58:09
This is a program that people should be
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taking advantage of.
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And not only because it's a really great
14:58:15
deal to move a lot of
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material off the property,
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but also thanks to the
14:58:19
neighborhoods you see.
14:58:21
What you've been in for yet.
14:58:22
The tropical storm of
14:58:23
the hurricane is here.
14:58:24
That is great.
14:58:26
How can I appreciate your time?
14:58:27
Thank you for
14:58:28
everything you do and your team.
14:58:30
And hopefully we won't be talking about
14:58:32
how bad the hurricane went to see you.
14:58:33
I hope not.
14:58:34
It is a pleasure for you inviting us to
14:58:37
share this valuable information with the
14:58:40
residents here at the
14:58:40
City of West Palm Beach.
14:58:42
Thank you.
14:58:43
And thank you for joining us
14:58:45
for Inside West Palm Beach.
14:58:46
Hey, we may have a new name, but we're
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close to completing our
14:58:50
third year of production.
14:58:52
We've got many past podcasts available
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for your listening pleasure.
14:58:55
We're available on all
14:58:56
major podcast outlets.
14:58:58
Just search for "The City of West Palm
14:59:00
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14:59:01
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14:59:04
If you have comments or other ideas for
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write us at podcast.wpp.org.
14:59:11
This has been a production of The City of
14:59:13
West Palm Beach
14:59:14
Communications Department.
14:59:15
I'm Jerry Marceau.
14:59:17
We'll see you.