BELMONT CRAGIN — The end of the "dibs" season — at least this round — became official Monday morning despite any sign that winter is drawing to a close.
On Friday the Department of Streets and Sanitation warned that with the "warming conditions" residents should "remove any debris from the public way and off the parkway to ensure it is not collected by our crews."
City crews normally pick up items obstructing traffic but have been generally tolerant of the junk people put on the street to save a parking spot they clear. This despite the fact that city officials discourage the practice.
On Monday morning, city crews made good on cleanup promise. Crews in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood stuffed everything found in the roadway into their truck, collecting mostly common dibs items like plastic chairs and buckets, along with more original spot holders like plastic basketball rims, bikes, car tires and toys.
The end of dibs season usually signals that spring is near, but temperatures are expected to be below freezing through Wednesday in the city.