Highway Department

Trash & Recycling Collection Schedule
Refrigerator/Freezer Pick Up
Brush Pick Up
Scheduled Road Repairs
Snow Removal Notices

   Snow and Ice Policy for The Town of Porter

Town of Porter Department of Highways – Mission

      It is the Mission of the Town of Porter Department of Highways to ensure our   customers- those who live, work and travel in the Town of Porter- have a safe,          efficient, balanced and environmentally sound highway system in the Town.

Snow and Ice Control on Town , County and State highways under the jurisdiction of the Town of Porter     - Goal

It is the departments goal to provide highways that are passable and reasonably safe for vehicular traffic as much of the time as possible within the limitations imposed by weather conditions and the availability of equipment, material and personnel. It is recognized that due to resource limitations and weather conditions, pavement surfaces will be snow covered and/or slippery some of the time. The traveling public must exercise caution and drive appropriately in those situations.

Level of Service

A regular level of service will be maintained on all highways under the jurisdiction of the department between 4:00AM and 10:00PM Monday thru Friday.  A modified level of service will be provided on all roads at all times on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays.

Call Out Response and Personal Readiness

The Superintendent of Highways or his designate will monitor weather conditions and patrol Town, County and State Highways prior to 4:00AM as needed. Call out of personnel will be initiated if weather and road conditions warrant a response. The public may report deficient road conditions to the highway office from 8:00AM – 3:30PM Monday thru Friday at 791-3831. After hours reports may be made to the Lewiston Water Pollution Control Center at 754-8291 or the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office at 438 – 3393.

Trash & Recycling Collection Schedule

• Town of Porter & Ransomville (excluding Village of Youngstown) – Collections on THURSDAY
• Village of Youngstown – Collections on FRIDAY

All refuse should be at the curb by 7:00 am. You are allowed to put one bulk item out at the curb each week.

The following holidays are exceptions to the scheduled collections. Collections for these holiday weeks will be on Fridays for the Town of Porter & Ransomville and on Saturdays for the Village of Youngstown.

The Town of Porter strongly supports recycling. For all trash collected the Town pays a fee per ton. With all recycling collected the Town pays nothing. Additional recycle bins are available at the Town Hall.
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Refrigerator/Freezer Pick Up
The highway department will pick up refrigerators and freezers that are no longer serviceable.
The Freon must be removed by a licensed technician prior to pick up. The necessary forms are available from the Town Clerk and must be returned to Modern Disposal to arrange for pickup. The sticker or letter certifying that the Freon has been removed must be attached to the appliance. Please have the doors removed for child safety.

To arrange pickup please call the highway department Monday thru Friday during regular business hours at 791-3831.
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2010 Brush Pick Up Schedule

Townwide trash pick-up will be April 19th, and April 20th, 2010

Starting Monday May3rd through November 1st, 2010, regularly scheduled brush pick up will be as follows:

• 1st Monday of the month: areas of the town from Lutts Road west, including Lutts Road
• 3rd Monday of the month: areas east of Lutts Road

Guidelines for Brush Pick-up:
This service is for reasonable and routine homeowner tree trimming only. This does not include trees in wooded areas behind homes. WE DO NOT CLEAR OR EXTEND LOTS FOR BUILDERS OR PRIVATE OWNERS. If you utilize the services of a contractor he is responsible for clean up of the trimmings.

• ALL branches must be no larger than 3” in diameter.
  
• ALL BRANCHES MUST be piled neatly as possible with all cut ends facing the road, piled as close to the road as safety permits, approximately waist high. This enables crews to pick them up quicker & easier.
  
• We do not go on private property. Please do not request us to do so.
  
• BRANCHES MUST BE FREE OF ROOTS AND DIRT. We do not pick up rocks, stumps, leaves, lawn sweepings, twigs, vines, rubbish, etc. Please do not put these items out with your branches. We will not pick them up and they could pose a great danger to the men and equipment.

Should you have any questions please contact the highway department at 791-3831 from 8:00AM – 4:30PM, Monday thru Thursday
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Scheduled Road Repairs

1. Dickersonville Road – Frombetween Youngstown/Wilson Road to Lake Rd
2. Dickersonville Road – between Youngstown/Lockport Road and Balmer Road
3. Beech Ave, Oak Ave, Park Ave, Wilkesmore Lane & Old Lake Road
4. Crack filling on various roads

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Snow Removal Notices

NOTICE 1
Re: MAILBOXES DAMAGED DURING SNOW REMOVAL
During and after significant snow storms, highway agencies, in the course of plowing, receive phone calls regarding damage to mailboxes, either from snow plows directly or from the force of snow being thrown by the plows. If such damage is indeed caused by snow removal, it is not done intentionally but is an unfortunate consequence of snow removal.

As far as the particular agencies replacing damaged mailboxes, it must be pointed out that there is no statutory or legal authority that grants a property owner or resident along a public highway any right to place a mailbox in a highway right-of-way. It is understood, the owner must have a mailbox in the right-of-way, by law to cause delivery of the mail, which may give the owner an informal license: but, in no way does this endow said owner with any legal rights in the highway when needed for highway purposes.

Quoting from the case of Van Wyck vs. Lent, “The highways of the state are for and devoted to public travel and the whole public have right to theur use in their entirety and when obstructions to public travel are found within their bounds, commissioners of highways are clothed with power to remove them without waiting for the slow process of law, even though travel be not absolutely and entirely prevented”.

Thus, when the necessity of keeping the highway open, conflicts with individual’s reception of the mail, the latter must stand aside. The owner might even be compelled to remove the box under Highway Law #319.
(Parts of the above are excerpts from an informal opinion by the Attorney General, dated 2/28/66.)

Ramsey Kahi
Resident Engineer
NYS Department of Transportation

Kevin O’Brien , P.E. , Commissioner
Niagara County Public Works
Arthur Kroening, President
Niagara County Town Highway Supt’s

NOTICE 2
Re: The Depositing of Snow on Highways or Shoulders

To Whom It May Concern:

Section 1219 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law and Section 214 of the Highway Law of New York State, specifically prohibits the placing or leaving of snow, ice or other substance, upon any highway (which includes pavement, shoulders and ditches).

In the last few years, the practice of plowing or depositing snow from private driveways or private property onto the highway has increased significantly, especially after roadways have been cleared and snow pushed back behind the shoulders by Highway Agencies. The intent of this notice is to point out the possibility of serious accidents as a direct result of the plowing of snow onto a public highway: and , the fact that it is contrary to law, and the person or persons responsible for said plowing and/or depositing of snow upon the roadway may be liable to a fine of $1000.00 per day, per occurrence, for each day the occurrence remains uncorrected.

As a result, should these practices occur, police agencies will be notified of such occurrence(s) with the intent that summonses will be issued to the responsible person or persons.

Ramsey Kahi, Resident Engineer
NYS Department of Transportation
Kevin O’Brien P.E., Commissioner
Niagara County Public Works
Arthur Kroening, President
Niagara County Assoc Of Town Highway Superintendent’s
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