North Webster Hears Trash Talk
“They don’t want to carry their trash home with them and they don’t want to pay for trash pick-up, so they use the recycling center or NewMarket’s dumpsters,” explained Jon Sroufe, town council president.
The recycling center is part of a long-time, county run program to promote recycling. Sue Studebacker of Kosciusko County Recycling was present and noted, “Stafford’s Solid Waste Service picks up the bins’ contents three times a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday – and they work really hard to keep the area picked up and neat. Some of the people who use the facility are not cooperating and are dumping other items. We may look into using surveillance cameras to identify the people breaking the rules.”
Representatives from Stafford’s were also present and said they have even found two deer carcasses dumped in the recycling bins in the past. The company has added two additional bins, one for cardboard and one for plastic, as those two items are commonly recycled.
Another persistent problem is that people do not break their cardboard down before depositing it in the recycling bins. The bins fill very quickly and the wind will catch the cardboard scattering it over the neighborhood.
“Trash dumping is always a summertime problem. We can and do enforce the littering ordinances and do patrol the area,” commented North Webster Police Chief Greg Church.
The residents who live nearest the recycling site are Kathy and Brian Slabaugh. They have continually had trash blown in their yard, among other problems stemming from the recycling center. Kathy Slabaugh asked if the council would consider moving the center, which the council agreed to consider. “A drawback to moving it is that people just dump in the old location,” said Studebaker.
She also indicated that KC Recycling would work with the Slabaughs for more solutions to the problem while pointing out that this was a very bad year for both wind and dust, which makes the problem worse than normal. Studebaker will ask the Kosciusko County Highway Department to put down sodium chloride on the site to keep down the dust.
At the request of the North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce, the council approved the additional closing of East North Street from SR 13 to the alley for Dixie Days along with the previously approved Washington Street closings. They will only be closed on Saturday, July 28.
J.B. Routh approached the council to submit a plan for a covering on the lift station near Center Street extension. The council approved directing Public Works Director Mike Noe to work with Routh to see that the screening be completed but that it will allow access to the lift station.
Routh had earlier objected to the town agreeing to pay for one and one-half severe weather sirens. “Just get a back up generator,” he said. It was explained that the one and only siren is manually operated and cannot be activated from Kosciusko County Central Dispatch. Someone has to stand there the entire specified length of time to press the button. It is only heard in town.
Tippecanoe Township is planning to install several sirens around the township. Fire chief Jeremy Likens asked for the council’s commitment that it would purchase one and one-half sirens in the amount of $35,000 to $40,000, which would cover the town limits area.
“The safety of our citizens is important,” stated clerk-treasurer Betsy Luce. The council approved the request with the stipulation that the township maintain the sirens. Sroufe was assured by Likens that the noon whistle will still blow after the change.
Councilman Tim Hine reported for the park department that the weeds in the new town parking lot west of Dixie Haven will be taken care of and that a sign identifying it as a town lot will be placed on the property.
Council members in attendance were Sroufe, Hine and Lisa Strombeck along with Luce, Birch and the department heads Noe and Church.
The next regular meeting of the North Webster Town Council will be 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14, at the North Webster Community Center.
For complete coverage, see today’s issue of The Mail-Journal.