The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities’ yard waste disposal site is open for limited hours through May 15.

The site will be manned by city public works employees from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday through May 15. Residents will be asked to come to the site on their normal garbage pickup day to prevent overcrowding of the site.

First of all, it’s great that the site is open. The winter and spring have been difficult, so those who have been able to work to clean up the seasonal debris left on their lawn have had a lot of tree limbs to remove, and Jamestown is full of hardy souls who have braved the cold, damp and often snowy spring to prepare their gardens. It’s good to encourage those who want to keep their yards looking nice.

Frankly, though, it’s disappointing that reopening the yard waste site doesn’t take into account those who have to work during regular business hours. Those who are still considered essential personnel can’t simply ditch work because they have yard waste — that’s a good way to go from essential work to the unemployment line.

We fully understand that this two-week schedule is a compromise, and we do give credit to the powers-that-be for coming up with a limited solution for those able to spend their days working in their yards. The city is like many businesses that are operating with a limited number of staff while trying to balance the need to provide services and keep workers safe. After May 15, though, we’re sure there are a lot of city residents who would appreciate some sort of Saturday hours or evening hours for the yard waste site.