Harvard Yard, Highland Park to get trash pick-up

Harvard Yard, Highland Park to get trash pick-up

County strikes deal for sanitation service for communities

news@theeveningtimes.com

Crittenden County won’t have to worry about trash accumulating at Harvard Yard and Highland Park any more.

Quorum Court Justice Lisa O’Neal, who chairs the county’s clean-up committee, said the county is going to require mandatory trash pick up in those two subdivisions starting Jan. 1.

O’Neal said the county has hired Dedman’s Sanitation in Bay to pick up resident’s trash once a week in those two trouble spots.

“We have an oral agreement and are working on the paperwork that they will do weekly pick up,” O’Neal said.

The service will cost $18 a month plus a two dollar fee which will be paid to Marion, who will do the billing for the service.

Marion already does the billing for the water accounts in Harvard Yard for Sunset, and also manages the water for Highland Park.

Harvard Yard and Highland Park are older subdivisions in the unincorporated part of Crittenden County.

“For years Marion has brought water management service to both of these areas,” said Marion Mayor Frank Fogleman. “This will be a tag-along. I’ve spoken to our water department. It doesn’t impact our software. Marion will add that to the water bill for each household.”

Uncollected trash has been a problem in Harvard Yard for years. Many of the homes are rental property owned by absentee landlords. Other homes are empty or in poor condition and have been used for dumping grounds for trash. The county has already spent $5,000 and has hauled off 14 dumpsters of trash at Harvard Yard.

Highland Park is a trailer park just outside of Marion and trash has also been a problem in that subdivision as well.

O’Neal said Dedman has already been collecting trash in those neighborhoods for years but getting paid for the service has been a problem.

By making trash pick up mandatory it will not only clean up the problem of unsightly trash, but will also give the county an enforcement mechanism to make sure the bill is paid by hav- ing it on the water bill which can be shut off for non-payment.

“At one time Mr. Dedman was picking up most of Harvard Yard but people quit paying,” O’Neal said.

“That’s the reason why the trash situation got the way it is,” added County Judge Woody Wheeless. “If you are a subscriber and I’m not, I’ve got to get rid of my trash. So I either put it over by you, or I’m putting it on a vacant lot. By doing this it will eliminate that problem.”

Marion City Attorney James “Jimbo” Hale cautioned that the city could get sued if they shut somebody’s water off because the city is collecting the money for a private contractor.

“Usually when you have a shut off it is the city’s utility,” Hale said. “Not some contractor. I don’t want to get sued when you shut somebody’s water off and we don’t have control of this third party. Who’s going to keep up with the garbage? Some guy from Bay will be able to cut their water off. So aren’t we enforcing his contract?”

Fogleman said Marion already provides a similar service for the state.

“I see us as a service provider,” Fogleman said.

“We collect a safe water fee on our bill and remit it to the state. That’s essentially what we are doing here.”

Wheeless said Mississippi County and Craighead County have a similar practice

in place.

“This is not new,” Wheeless said. “This is where we got our information from and are proposing to do the same way.”

“It doesn’t mean it’s right,” Hale responded. “I’m not saying it’s not a good idea.

But I just see it as Marion is collecting for some vendor we have no control over.”

Wheeless suggested Marion turn the money over to the county instead.

“You can pay the county and we can be the ones responsible,” Wheeless said.

There are about 250 customers in those two subdivisions.

The county plans to pass the ordinance requiring mandatory garbage pick up at its October meeting.

O’Neal said Dedman already has the trash cans and is ready to begin the service.

“He’s ready to go and is excited,” O’Neal said.

“And to finally get this done to have pick up in those two locations I think is great.”

Wheeless said he doesn’t think mandatory pick up will totally eliminate the trash problem. But it will make life a lot better for residents in those areas.

“This has been an issue for some time,” Wheeless said. “And from a health standpoint this is a great thing for those communities. So I am excited about it happening and look forward to it being implemented next year.”

By Mark Randall