16 Responses to “CITY FOCUS: No Mulch Delivery; Holiday Schedule; Trash Pickup; Final Leaf Collection”

1. GERALD PRESSMAN (City of Falls Church) on December 22nd, 2009 10:10 pm
   Below is a question I sent to the City’s Suggestion Box. I’ve not yet received a reply.

   WAS ANY THOUGHT GIVEN TO ALLOWING HOMEOWNERS AND TENANTS THE OPTION OF PAYING FOR LEAF MULCH DELIVERY? THE PAYMENTS COULD BE HANDLED IN THE SAME MANNER AS THE CHARGES FOR SPECIAL PICKUPS. EVEN IF THE CITY HAD TO ARRANGE FOR A PRIVATE COMPANY TO DO THE DELIVERY, IT WOULD BE BETTER THAN CALLING OFF SOMETHING THAT’S BEEN A TRADITION IN THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH FOR A VERY LONG TIME. USING LEAF MULCH IS ALSO GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.
2. Gordon Theisz, City of Falls Church on December 23rd, 2009 1:12 am
   I, for one, would pay to have the leaf mulch delivered.
3. Steven Valley on December 23rd, 2009 6:01 am
   I am so glad we spent the cash on the new city brand. I mean, who needs things like environmental green programs and kids art calendars when you can have a snazzy new tag line for everyone to rally around.

   Wait a minute I am sensing the need to give all of the municipal vehicles in the city new paint jobs to go with the new “little city” brand! It can’t cost that much?

   If we need extra cash to do this with, we can always shut down the community center between 4 and midnight and also on the weekends. Who needs the center during those times anyway!
4. TFC on December 23rd, 2009 6:46 am
   I hope our Police cars don’t get painted with that snazzy logo.
5. Robert Hughes on December 23rd, 2009 10:28 am
   The city is millions of dollars in debt;
   The city is millions of dollars in debt, and now is the time for a stupid logo;
   The city is millions of dollars in debt; will the guilty be held liable for their abrogation of their fiduciary responsibility?

   Seems to be a pattern. What will the response be — millions of dollars of dollars in debt?
6. Andy Rankin (Falls Church) on December 23rd, 2009 11:16 am
   Sounds like a potential business opportunity for any area teenagers with a drivers license and access to a pick-up truck.
7. VictoriaK on December 23rd, 2009 11:40 am
   Perhaps this is all a part of the rebranding? We’ll keep the (nonsecular but) whimsical Easter Egg Hunt and abandon mulch delivery–being green just isn’t eccentric enough for our Little City anymore.
8. Jack Bozman on December 23rd, 2009 3:38 pm
   This is what you get voting liberal. A spend it all government. I love it.
9. Nicole Feuerstein, Falls Church on December 24th, 2009 9:50 pm
   Wow, this stinks. We love getting the mulch delivered by the town every year and were especially counting on it this upcoming year. Luckily, we have an SUV that we don’t mind dirtying up…but this is going to make it REALLY dirty. For the residents who only have cars, they don’t have that option! The town should definitely have figured out a way to offer this as a paid for service.
10. Andy Rankin (Falls Church) on December 27th, 2009 8:47 am
    Seriously, if there is such demand for delivery I’m sure someone will decide to sell it. I wonder if the City would be willing to maintain a list of delivery options and provide that info to people who ask for it?

    As for getting your car dirty – I think you can rent a pickup from Home Depot (or maybe in UHaul) for about $20/hour.
11. vlfrance, City of Falls Church on December 27th, 2009 2:59 pm
    Until a couple of years ago, the high school had a fundraiser where they delivered the mulch and I always took advantage. I don’t think it was city mulch though? Nevertheless, I don’t know if it’s organized anymore.
12. TFC on December 27th, 2009 5:28 pm
    It’s the George Mason Athletic Boosters…I still order it every year. Bagged mulch, high quality. It’s delivered on one Sat in March or April by kids with strong backs. They usually have an ad in the FCNP with info on ordering procedures.
13. John D. Lawrence, City of Falls Church on December 27th, 2009 5:53 pm
    TFC: Do you know if they buy it bagged and sell it or if they bag it themselves? If they bag it themselves (or if they can), the City should give them as much of the leaf mulch as the Boosters can take and let them sell it. I’m really surprised the City didn’t try selling the mulch rather than just discontinuing deliveries. I know I’d pay for it. As it is, I’ll have to pay someone else for it and the City doesn’t get my money. At least the Boosters should.
14. TFC on December 27th, 2009 6:14 pm
    Looks like it’s purchased prepackaged. Comes in big white plastic bags. It’s shredded pine bark mulch…not the ground leaf mulch the City provides. I’ll be honest, I tried the City mulch and I prefer the pine bark. If the Boosters changed to City mulch, I would take my business back to the dreaded Home Depot self-haul-strain-back route.
15. Andy Rankin (Falls Church) on December 27th, 2009 7:21 pm
    I’m not a mulch expert but I’m guessing leaf mulch and pine bark mulch serve different purposes. The leaf mulch must be on the verge of composting by the time we can get it – so it probably works great if you’re mixing it in some soil for a garden. Pine bark mulch is probably more useful for putting around trees and things like that – situations where you want the mulch to last a while.

    Hopefully the boosters will offer both!
16. Gordon Theisz, CITY of Falls Church on December 29th, 2009 7:52 pm
    Love the Athletic Boosters; Phil Duncan is a friend of mine, but just a reminder that Boy Scout Troop 895 of which I am the committee chair will be having our 11th annual mulch sale (3 cubic foot bags of triple shredded hardwood bark) delivered to local residents’ homes. The Scouts will be dropping off fliers door to door in late winter, but you can also contact me directly at drtheisz@fmifc.com.

    BTW, neither the Boosters nor the Scouts bag the mulch, it comes from the supplier pre-bagged.

    The only way to get the city leaf mulch delivered in a usable quantity is to have it delivered, and I would gladly pay for that service.

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