More dumpster sites to close

The county’s third manned dumpster site located at Hilltop north of Cairo could open later this week.

That was the pronouncement of county road superintendent and solid waste director Stanley Elkins to the Grady County Commission on Tuesday night.

Once the Hilltop manned site is operational, Elkins said he will close dumpster sites located on Bold Springs, Aldridge, and Akridge roads.

A fourth manned site to be located on Ridge Road is the next project for the county and Elkins said that only weather and equipment issues have hindered him from getting to work on that project.

“The two sites we have (20th Street and Beck Branch) are working great. We have some kinks every now and then, but we are working our way through them,” Elkins said.

The road superintendent also said he had discussed with Monrovia Growers suggestions for vegetative buffers at the Beck Branch location, which the county committed to neighboring residents would be done. Elkins said he was advised to wait until the fall before planting a vegetative buffer.

Grady County Commission Chairwoman LaFaye Copeland credited Elkins for hiring helpful and friendly attendants at the Beck Branch site. “They are all very nice and helpful,” she said.

Also Tuesday night, the county commission heard from Michelle Dean, owner of Popes Museum in northern Grady County. Dean, a former resident of Leon County, Fla., said when Leon County instituted mandated curbside garbage collection and recycling she and her husband initially were opposed to it, but grew to like it and appreciate it.

Dean said that the $21 monthly fee was challenging for the couple trying to raise four children on the wages of a corrections officer, but she said ultimately the increased value to the tax base of the county and the Dean’s own property more than made up for the monthly expense.

She encouraged Grady County commissioners to consider mandating curbside garbage collection in the unincorporated areas. According to the Popes Museum owner, a study by Keep America Beautiful indicates that curbside garbage collection can increase the value of a community’s tax digest by 66 percent.

“This would have an economic impact for the community for generations.There is no perfect policy, but you must weigh if the advantages are worth the disadvantages,” she said. Dean also said that no policy would please all residents, but she encouraged the board to consider implementing mandatory curbside pickup.

Lastly, the board authorized Elkins to apply for a tire amnesty grant. For the last several years the county has applied for these grants, which make it possible for the county to accept used tires from local residents and properly dispose of them at no cost to the resident or the county.

Typically, the scrap tire amnesty event is held in December. Elkins is hopeful the county will be funded this year and can hold an amnesty event later this fall.