CENTRALIA — The City of Centralia would like to announce that the upcoming burn dates scheduled on April 18th and April 19th have been canceled.

According to Acting City Manager Bill Agee, the changes were made to accommodate those that are under the stay at home order so they can enjoy their backyards with their families during this time without burning leaves and landscape in the air.

As an alternative to burning, the City of Centralia is extending the leaf vacuuming service. The curbside vacuum service will continue through the week of April 13th through April 17th.

The service will follow routes as established in August 2012 (for a detailed map see the website at cityofcentralia.org under Departments, City Clerk, Utilities). The usual landscape waste and limbs will continue to be collected every week in approved paper bags.

The following are simple rules that we ask each resident to follow to make the process as smooth as possible:

1. Please rake your leaves to within four (4) feet of the curb but DO NOT place leaves on the street or in the gutter as they will clog the storm drains. This is typically the area between the sidewalk and the curb.

2. Please DO NOT place leaves behind or near obstacles such as mailboxes, trees, hedges, fences, etc. If there are any obstacles preventing your leaves from being picked up, they WILL NOT be picked up.

3. Please avoid parking vehicles in front of piles of leaves on the day that they are to be collected. The vacuum trucks require a MINIMUM of forty-five (45) feet of curb access to safely operate. If a vehicle blocks access to the leaves, they WILL NOT be picked up.

4. Please DO NOT mix trash, yard waste such as limbs, weeds, grass or any other material with the leaves. Yard waste mixed with leaves causes safety concerns and equipment malfunction. These items should be placed in approved paper bags for weekly collection or bundled properly.

Leaves MUST be ready for vacuum by 6:00 a.m. on your scheduled day. If your leaves are not picked up on the regularly scheduled day (due to severe weather, equipment malfunction or a holiday) they will be picked up the following day or as soon as possible. The City of Centralia is committed to making this process successful and ensuring that a quality service is provided. The next scheduled burn dates are on May 2nd and May 3rd. If you have any concerns, feel free to call the Centralia Public Works Dept.: 533-7640.