MAGNOLIA SPRINGS - In the weeks following Hurricane Sally, there’s one prevailing question on many Magnolia Springs residents’ minds: “When is all this debris going to be picked up?”

“We don’t really know when it’s going to get done. We’re hoping by Thanksgiving, so it’s going to be a while,” said Mayor Kim Koniar. “GreenCo has got to get special trucks in because they can’t get the huge trucks down Oak Street or some of our narrower streets, and they’re trying to protect the trees as best they can.”

The town council has entered into a contract with GreenCo for debris removal within town limits. They have also entered a contract with a monitor who will oversee the debris pickup. A GreenCo representative has scoped the damage within town to determine the best places to begin debris removal. Koniar said with the landscape changing daily in the aftermath of Sally there’s no feasible way to create a map or schedule of GreenCo’s operations. GreenCo is going to perform three phases in the debris pickup.

“There’s the first phase and the trucks have to clean up everything that’s out there by the road, and the monitors have to certify that they are finished; they don’t get to stop until the monitor says they’re done,” said councilmember Andrew Monaghan. “Then once they announce they’ve done phase one, go ahead and put the rest of your stuff by the road, and it’s the same deal for phases two and three.”

Monaghan says the three phases are done so people who are unable to get all debris picked up the first go-round have a later opportunity. This could apply to those with vacation homes in the area or people with so much debris in their yards or neighborhoods that they are unable to place it all by the road for the first pickup due to limited space.

During debris pickup, streets may become one-way while the trucks are present.

“The biggest problem we’re going to have is when they start picking up the debris,” said councilmember Steve Mobley. “Homeowners have got to remember that this is not going to be a fast process. It’s going to be slow and there will be some stuff that is going to inconvenience everybody.”

Check out the Town of Magnolia Springs’ website at www.townofmagnoliasprings.org or follow the Facebook page for town updates.