With an unseasonably warm thaw amidst winter’s chill, the months-delayed leaf pickup has resumed across St. Charles.

The city first notified residents on Dec. 3 that the late autumn leaf pickup was temporarily suspended because freezing conditions and snow made pickup difficult.

The city’s public works team said leaf pickup began again Feb. 11. Under normal non-freezing weather, pickup across the city typically takes two weeks. With the warmer weather, the public works team said “we’re on pace to do just that.”

The city said by Feb. 18 all pickups on the city’s east side should be completed. By Feb. 19, six crews should be working on the city’s west side. The goal is to finish pickup by Feb. 25.

The main thing that could delay things further is another cold winter chill. The public works staff said if it freezes over the weekend, they will have to wait for the next window to complete the remaining pickups.

Residents had previously voiced their frustrations with the long-delayed pickup, calling the piles an “eyesore” across town.

Alderperson Jayme Muenz said residents in her ward expressed gratitude for the public works team now that pickup has resumed. She said they are thankful that public works went back for any pickups that might have been missed on the first round.

The city is contracted with Kramer Tree Specialists for pickup.

Wet and freezing weather makes it difficult for the contractor’s machines to effectively pick up the leaf debris. For ideal conditions, the low daily temperature needs to be above freezing for at least a 10-day forecast.

The city charges households $62 a year for 11 collections, including three leaf collections and eight brush collections.

If the pickup gets delayed again, the city is providing updates on both their social media pages and the city’s website.