Local

Sanford residents fed up with piling Irma debris

By Angela Jacobs, WFTV.com
By Angela Jacobs, WFTV.com
People in a Sanford neighborhood want to know how long a corner along U.S. Highway 17-92 is going to be filled with debris.
The area is a city collection site for hurricane debris, but residents in the area sometimes use the area for parking as they wait for their children to get out of Sanford Middle School.
With debris in the spot, the cars pack French Avenue and 18th Street.
“I just wonder what they’re going to do with it all, there they’re going to put it,” said resident Lisa Rider.
The piles keep growing bigger and are now about 30 feet high and five rows wide.
Photos: Massive debris pile in Sanford after hurricane
“I used to say turn where you saw the big field, now it's where you see the debris,” Rider said.
A few houses away, Joni Giraulo said that underneath the city's makeshift Irma debris collection site, approved by the Department of Environmental Protection, lay multiple sports practice fields and a local community garden.
And one far corner was already ripped up before the hurricane, for stormwater system repairs. 
“Everybody calls it ‘the field,’ you know, the ‘big field,’” said Giraulo. “People play cricket, soccer, football, they do cheerleading, and you know, just kind of a run-around spot for kids to fly kites and stuff.”
The city manager said contractors have begun the process of grinding the debris on site.
From there, it goes to the landfill.

SANFORD, Fla. — %

INLINE

%%

INLINE

%

The plan is to have the entire area cleared within two to three weeks, which means just a little more patience for residents.
“It doesn't make the neighborhood pretty, but they've got to put it somewhere,” said Giraulo.
The city said once the debris is removed, the contractor is required to leave the field in the same condition as before.

Cox Media Group

Most Read