Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  At 5:45 a.m. Saturday, June 2, 2018, a pickup truck pulled up to the gate at the Nederland Public Works building and waited. The driver relaxed, happy to be guaranteed the opportunity to unload his truck.

When the snow begins to melt and the yard debris reveals itself, residents start stacking the fire dangers accumulated on their property. Branches, old wooden furniture, broken bikes, useless lumber, cement mixers; unsightly and hazardous, the piles of junk are readied for the Annual Nederland Town Clean-up partnered with Fire Wise.

A fee of $15 allows residents to take it to the work shop where town employees and volunteers guide the drivers to the appropriate site. Helpers haul the big things and heave the long pieces into the trailers.

At 8 a.m., the line at the gate reached almost all the way to the highway. Whitewater Wraps, a mobile food unit, was parked near the site, selling coffee, breakfast burritos and cinnamon rolls, a welcome treat to the drivers. It was a chilly, windy day and sitting in one’s car or truck with a hot drink and some food wasn’t all that bad.

NPW employee Nicki Dunn made sure the operation went smoothly with 72 loads showing up and people still straggling in.

The annual town cleanup helps make Nederland safer from fire danger as well as making it more attractive.

(Originally published in the June 7, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)