Compliments and special thanks are due to the fire department for their efforts in making Fire Prevention Day/Week the success that it was. Chief Foley and our fire department do an outstanding job protecting our lives and homes and educating each of us on fire safety. It was good to see such a turnout of residents for the programs that they conducted throughout the day Oct. 5. Due to the observance of Columbus Day, there was no garbage or recycling pickup on Oct. 13. Those residents who were scheduled for recycling pickup on the 13th should place recyclables out on Monday, Oct. 20. All other recycling days remain the same.

The Department of Public Works will start collecting leaves on Monday, Oct. 27. Collections will start in the eastern section on a sporadic basis, depending upon the amount of leaves in the street and weather conditions. As accumulation increases, full collection will begin in the western section on a street-by-street basis and proceed easterly through the entire village. Weather conditions permitting, this route will be repeated on a two-week basis. We ask that residents observe the following guidelines:

* Place only leaves in the street. Other items may damage machinery and slow down operation.

* Do not place leaves on medians and malls as this will kill or damage the grass. For reasons of safety, our streets are cleaned of leaves on a more frequent schedule than are the medians.

* Avoid parking cars over leaves as this slows our operation considerably, and is also a fire hazard. Each year a number of cars are seriously damaged or destroyed by fire as a result of their being parked on dry leaves. Please do not obscure fire hydrants by piling leaves around them.

* If you have a gardener, instruct him to place your leaves in the street, and not on the malls. Many gardeners find it convenient to bring leaves in from other communities in which they work for disposal by the village. This practice is prohibited and the police department will be issuing summonses.

Last fall the Street Department along with the Parks Department removed 20,000 cubic yards of leaves. These leaves were then turned into mulch and were made available cost free for use by residents and landscapers. This recycling of leaves saves the village thousands of dollars annually in disposal costs. Our combined efforts will keep our village beautiful and reduce waste. If you have any questions concerning our leaf collection schedule, please call the Department of Public Works at 465-4003.