With the official start of spring less than two weeks away, the city of Urbana is turning its attention toward cleaning up Oak Dale Cemetery and helping residents dispose of yard waste as they tend to their properties in anticipation of the warmer days ahead.

The annual spring cleanup of Oak Dale Cemetery will begin on Wednesday, March 15, and Bob Jumper, cemetery supervisor, is asking families to remove all ground decorations before this date.

Administrative Secretary Deb Aksenczuk added any ground decorations remaining after March 14 will be eliminated by cemetery grounds staff.

Once the cleanup begins, no ground decorations are allowed until after May 21, except for Easter and Mother’s Day decorations.

After May 21, according to cemetery regulations pertaining to vases and decorations, only one ground decoration and/or solar light is allowed per grave. Military veterans’ markers are not considered ground decoration and may remain.

Vases placed at gravesites must be made of natural stone or metal and kept in good condition.

Compost facility to open on limited basis

The Urbana Compost Facility at 1261 Muzzy Road will be open to all city residents over the next three Saturdays (March 11, 18 and 25) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Beginning April 1, the facility will return to its regular hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The compost site accepts all yard waste except tree stumps as long as the waste is separated into the following categories: brush, leaves and grass clippings.

All residents using the facility are reminded they must take with them any containers, bags or bindings used to gather up their yard waste.

For more information, visit the compost facility link on the city’s website at urbanaohio.com.