DeSoto Parish hires contractor to clean up storm debris

MANSFIELD, La. - DeSoto Parish now has a contractor that will clean up debris left over from Tropical Storm Beryl. The DeSoto Parish Police Jury has hired a contractor that will begin debris removal on July 29. A monitor also has been hired to oversee the work. Property owners should move all debris from the spring storms and from tornadoes spawned by Beryl to the ditch or right-of-way. Contractors can't go onto private property. No trash or unrelated material will be picked up. Contractors will work throughout the parish for at least 10 days. They'll also use heavy equipment to cut up large trees and hanging limbs that could cause problems on parish roadways. Parish Administrator Michael Norton said there's no need for any resident to contact anyone to have debris picked up. The contractor has been provided with a detailed map of all roads and areas affected. "Undoubtedly some debris may be missed as this parish has over 780 miles of parish roads, not including state highways and state roads, the Police Jury must maintain.  Once this round of debris removal is completed, the jury will reassess how much debris is left," said Norton.