NEWS

We’re more than half way through fall and below freezing temperatures will be the norm. It’s time to make sure you can be safe and warm in your home with some simple things to do:

Shut off water to outdoor spigots.  Disconnect and store any garden hoses. Insulate the spigots with insulated covers.

Check the exterior of your home for holes and cracks.  Even small homes where antenna, cable or telephone lines come into your home can be a place where freezing air can get in. Use foam insulation to close holes. Use weather stripping to fill cracks around windows and doors.

Check the insulation in your basement and attic.  Check around pipes and heating ducts. Pipes in the attic and crawl spaces are most susceptible to freezing.  Heat tape or heat cables can be used to make sure pipes stay warm. Make sure they’re properly installed.

Find the main water supply shut off valve.  Turn it almost off and on again to make sure it’s not rusted in place. Have it replaced if necessary. Make sure everyone in your household knows where the valve is and how to turn it off.

Put away outdoor furniture, grills and other equipment. Clean gardening tools and wipe with a light coat of oil to prevent rusting.

When it gets really cold, remember to leave indoor faucets near un-insulated external walls dripping overnight so the lines don’t freeze. Leave cabinet doors under these fixtures open so warm air can circulate around them.

Keep gutters clean. Gutters filled with leaves and debris increase the chance that ice can form on your roof.  Ice dams on roof can lead to water damage inside your home.

Keep attic vents and soffits clear. This will also help prevent ice from forming on the roof.

If you have one of the newer thermostats that takes batteries, make sure to have spare batteries handy. You don’t want to wake up to a frozen house because the thermostat stopped working.

If you go on vacation for several weeks, consider turning off the home water supply. Drain the indoor water pipes.  Remember to turn off the hot water heater as well.

Holiday waste collection schedule announcement

Lexington’s Division of Waste Management will adjust its collection schedule for the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s holidays.  Residents and businesses that normally receive curbside pick-up on Mondays and Fridays will be impacted by the holiday collection schedule. Monday customers will be serviced the Wednesday following the holiday, and Friday customers will be serviced the Wednesday preceding the holiday.

Those impacted by the holiday schedule should place their carts out on Tuesday after 4 p.m. to ensure collection on their Wednesday makeup day.

Revised schedules:

Christmas Eve: Friday, December 22, 2017                        Wednesday, December 20, 2017

MAKEUP DAY PRECEDES HOLIDAY!

Christmas Day: Monday, December 25, 2017                      Wednesday, December 27, 2017

New Year’s Day: Monday, January 1, 2018                        Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Monday, January 15, 2018        Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Residents with city waste collection can dispose of their Christmas tree by placing it on the curb the evening before their regular collection day. All decorations, ornaments and lights must be removed. Natural trees will be taken to the city’s composting facility where they will be converted into mulch. Artificial trees will be sent to the landfill or can be donated to local charities.  Natural wreathes, garland and gourds may be placed in the gray yard waste cart.

Fayette County residents can recycle holiday lights, computers, televisions and small appliances at the City’s Electronic Recycling Center located at 1306 Versailles Road. These items should never be placed in the blue recycling cart, as they can damage sorting equipment.

Events

Dec 3

Wilson Nurseries is teaching people how to make festive holiday wreaths on December 3 at 2:30 pm. (2700 Palumbo Dr.)

St. Nicholas is taking time out of his busy schedule to join us at Wilsons Nurseries (2700 Palumbo Dr.) from noon to 3 pm on Sunday, Dec. 3. Load up the kids & stop in to let them share their holiday wishes with Santa Claus.

Dec 5

Want to learn how to grow mushrooms at home? Then come to the Mushroom Workshop December 5 at 6pm at Seedleaf (501 W Sixth Street, Suite 250).

Dec 9

Lexington Farmers Market’s Holiday Market is Saturday December 9 at 8 am.

This article also appears on page 21 of the December 2017 printed edition of the Hamburg Journal.

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