WINDSOR – Tuesday is the day.

Windsor Commissioner Joe Alexander said all businesses which were affected by Hurricane Irene are expected to be open and ready for business as of Tuesday.

“Right now, most of the businesses are already open, but the last ones are expected to open tomorrow,” Alexander said Monday morning.

He said Bunn’s BBQ, the historic restaurant in downtown Windsor, which received approximately one foot of water, is among those expected to open Tuesday.

“We’re very pleased with how quickly this has happened,” Alexander said. “People have worked extremely hard and the town has done well with what was overall minor flooding.”

Alexander said the cleanup throughout Windsor has gone well despite the amount of damage done by the winds and rain associated with the storm.

All power has been restored to customers of the municipal system and debris removal is currently under way.

“We decided that because of the amount of work that was done before the storm, our own people are going to handle debris removal,” Alexander said. “We believe that decision will save taxpayers a lot of money because we won’t be paying anyone to come in and do it.”

Alexander said much of the town’s debris has already been removed, but it is still on-going. He said those who have debris they need removed have to place it adjacent to the roadway.

“It would be beneficial if people could separate the piles,” Alexander said. “We separate things when we remove them. Yard debris will have to go one place and any other kind of trash, such as used furniture and stuff like that will have to go to a different place.”

Alexander said if the trash were separated, it would help speed up the process, which he hopes to have completed in about two weeks.

While the town has saved money, it will still be a costly storm. Alexander said the total cost had not been figured to date, but he hoped it would be in the near future.

Alexander, who is also an insurance agent, also encouraged those waiting to receive claims on their homes or property to be as patient as possible.

“We have insurance adjusters coming from as far away as Texas,” he said. “I just hope people will give them time to do their work.”

He also said it was important for people to get the name of their adjuster and their claim number so work could be done in a timelier manner.