Street Department

David Gibbs, Street Commissioner

Richard Barnum, Asst. Street Commissioner

Contact Information:
475 Steury Avenue
Goshen, IN 46528
Office: 574-534-9711
Fax: 574-534-1568
streets@goshencity.com
Hours: 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday

Per Executive Order 2020-12:  Members of the public entering all City buildings are requested and strongly encouraged to wear a face mask. (July 27, 2020)

 

 

2020 Brush Collection

NOTE: The last city-wide brush pick up will begin Monday, September 28th.  Please place your brush out by the curb before Monday to insure pick up sometime during the week.   If a resident has need of brush removal after the last pick up, please scroll down further to see the changes in the Brush Trailer program.

The Goshen Street Department will begin its spring brush and leaf collection on Monday, April 27, 2020.    During this first collection we will pick up both leaves and brush. Please have the brush and leaves out before the start date to ensure pick up. Because of the large amount of brush and leaves usually placed out for this first pick up, it tends to take longer for the crews to make their rounds. Residents are to have their leaves and brush placed at the curb, but not in the street so as to not cause a road hazard or hinder water drainage. Do not place brush or trash on or in leaf piles. Leaf and brush piles placed in alleyways will not be picked up. Do not place piles around fire hydrants, mail boxes or telephone poles.  Feel free to call the Street Department if you have questions.

During scheduled brush collections, the Street Department will make only one pass through the city to pick up brush. (The exception being the Spring brush and leaf collection normally includes 2 rotations of the City). Please have your brush by the front curb, but not in the street, by that Monday morning at 7:00 am.  Brush will not be picked up in alleys and the piles should be trash free. Crews cannot access the piles if blocked by vehicles.

Summer brush pick up weeks will begin on the following days:

May 26, 2020

June 15, 2020  Special collection for brush caused from storm damage.

July 6, 2020  Changed from normal start date of June 29th.

July 27, 2020

August 31, 2020

September 28, 2020

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2020 Dial-A-Trailer and Brush Trailer Program

 

DIAL-A-TRAILER - The Dial-A-Trailer service will begin May 11, 2020 and continues until October 2, 2020.  We will begin to take reservations for the trailer on April 27, 2020. The use of a City dump trailer is available to Goshen City residents for the disposal of unwanted household items.  (NOTE: This service is only for residential projects done by the homeowner or for neighborhood associations and non-profit organizations clean-up projects that are authorized by the Board of Public Works. It is not for use by private contractors or companies.)

The cost of this service is $75.00 and it covers the use of the trailer as well as the landfill charges. This fee is to be paid and paperwork filled out prior to the delivery of the trailer. You can pay either at the office or we can accept payment by credit card and the paperwork can be processed via email.  There is a 3% processing fee added on the cost of the Dial-A-Trailer if you pay by credit card.

All discarded items are subject to the restrictions of the landfill. Residents may reserve a trailer by calling the Street Department Monday through Friday, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. 534-9711.

BRUSH TRAILER -  The City brush trailer program now runs throughout the year with weather permitting. The Goshen Street Department  will determine what weather conditions it warrants not sending a trailer out.

The trailer can be reserved for the removal of large amounts of brush.  If a homeowner is trimming his own bushes or trees, they can schedule a trailer to be dropped off to put their brush in.  This program is for the homeowner only and not to be used by private landscaping or tree-trimming professionals. This program is free of charge as long as there is only brush placed in the trailer.  Trash such as landscape timbers, lumber, old fencing and such is not allowed and if found in the brush trailer, the homeowner will be charged for a Dial-A-Trailer.

With both programs, the trailer is usually dropped off in the afternoon between the hours of 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm and picked up the next day shortly after 7:00 am if one has scheduled to receive it on a weekday; if you have it scheduled for a weekend, it will be dropped off Friday afternoon and picked up early Monday morning.

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Goshen Environmental Center

Located at 20100 CR 19, the center accepts brush and leaves, loose or in bags, at no charge to Goshen residents. However, if leaves are bagged, the bags must be emptied. There is a small fee for disposal of yard waste and grass clippings. The Environmental Center is located west of the intersection of North Indiana Avenue and C.R. 19 and is open 52 weeks a year. Winter hours are in effect from Dec. 1st through March 31st with hours being  Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Summer hours are from Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday from 8:00 am to 12 noon and they are in effect from April 1st to November 30th. The Environmental Center is closed on holidays. Proof of residency is required.  The Environmental Center phone number is 533-6200.

The City of Goshen is not responsible for disposal of large tree limbs and debris from home owners or contractors taking down a tree on their property. This is beyond the scope of normal yard waste. 

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2020 Leaf Collection

The 2020 Fall Season leaf collection is estimated to begin mid - to late October. The leaf collection crews will pick up leaves until all the piles are picked up or until the first major snowstorm; whichever comes first.  (The leaf collection season usually ends in mid-December.)

Leaf piles:

• Rake leaves into long piles on the grass next to the street or sidewalk beside the curb, not more than 6 feet from the curb.
  • For the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, if you must pile leaves on the sidewalk, please leave as wide a walking path as possible.
• Leaves must be kept out of the street.
  • The piles of leaves interfere with the flow of traffic.
  • Later in the autumn, if it snows, the snow plows will be forced to drive over/through the leaf piles and end up throwing leaves from the piles far back into the yard.

• Residents and property owners that have a storm drain in front of their property are asked to keep the drain area clear of leaves. This will help reduce the chances of water backing up on City streets.
• When finished raking, spraying the piles down with water will help keep them from blowing away during periods of high wind.
• Bagged leaves will be collected, but it slows the city-wide collection down drastically.  The leaf vac crew has to empty the bags out in order to vacuum up the leaves and they will leave the bags on the property.
• Do not place leaves in the alley—they will not be removed.
• Do not put sticks, twigs and other trash into or on top of the leaf piles.  These items can damage the vacuum equipment and force crews to pluck these items from the leaves—another time-consuming task. 

Parking:

• Never park over a leaf pile.  A hot catalytic converter can easily ignite the dry leaves and, in turn, your vehicle. 
• Please do not park cars in front of leaf piles. The crews will not be able to collect the leaves.
• Park cars with at least 15 feet between leaf piles and vehicles.
• Please use off street parking during this time if available.

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Street Maintenance

The Street Department is responsible for the ongoing regular maintenance of City street surfaces. This includes patching pot holes, crack sealing, street sweeping as well as repairing the berm along a paved road. Anyone who notices an area of the road needing attention should call the Street Department to report the problem area.

S.R.15 (Main St) and U.S. 33 (Lincolnway East, Pike St., Elkhart Road) are state highways.  With the exception of street sweeping, all other maintenance issues (including traffic signals) fall under the jurisdiction of INDOT. One can notify Indiana Department of Transportation at www.in.gov/indot/2703.htm .

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Tree Limb and Dead Animal Removal

When there is a storm, the Street Department is responsible for removing fallen limbs and tree debris located in the street right-of-way. If notified, the employees will remove dead animals located in the right-of-way.

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Graffiti Removal

The Street Department has equipment to remove graffiti.  Graffiti must first be reported to the Police Department.  After the Street Department receives the police report, they will contact the property owner to get approval to remove the graffiti.

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Street Lights

If a street light in your neighborhood is not working you can notify NIPSCO by reporting it at:
http://www.nipsco.com/stay-safe/outage-center/report-a-streetlight-out

If it is a decorative street light such as those found on Third St. or in Clover Trails subdivision, call the Engineering Department at 534-2201 to report it not working.

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Snow Removal/Snow Emergency

The Street Department has the primary responsibility for snow removal within Goshen City limits. To insure a safe flow of traffic and to aid the Street Department with its snow removal efforts, the Mayor may need to declare a Snow Emergency. During snow emergencies, special parking restrictions and trash collection provisions may be enacted. The snow emergency and any special instructions will be announced through local television, radio, or news services during and after the snowfall. In times of emergency it is important to pay attention to local news media.