Boys & Girls Clubs tired of getting dumped on

Boys & Girls Clubs tired of getting dumped on

West Memphis Sanitation Department relocates Dumpsters to curtail illegal dumping

news@theeveningtimes.com

The transition in the West Memphis City Engineer position made for a string of reports and the monthly Public Works Committee meeting. New City Engineer Amanda Hicks sat in for the monthly reports for the first time.

Moving Dumpsters at the boys and girls clubs on the east side of the city, updates on road projects were reported.

The L.R. Jackson Girls Club and the Wonder City Club wanted their Dumpster moved for convenience sake. Some citizens wanted them moved because they were an eye sore attracting mid-night dumping of tires and furniture.

“The girls club Dumpster has been moved,” said Willis Mondy. “Somebody put a whole bed, frame and everything and has set it next to the Dumpster and got mad when she was told she couldn’t do it. They had to call the police.”

The news provided a literal shaking-my-head moment for Councilor James Pulliaum.

“There is actually an ordinance against putting trash in other people’s Dumpsters,” said Pulliaum.

Illegal dumping costs the non-profit club money.

“There is garbage setting over there right now out- com.

side the Dumpster,” said Mondy. “Now the club has to pay somebody to go put it in the Dumpster.”

Across the street at the boys club the bin was moved despite reservations on the city’s part.

“We weren’t going to move it to the parking lot at the boys club just because it is going to break down the lot,” said Public Works Administrative Assistant Rhonda Standridge.

Mondy delivered assurances from the club that lot repair would not be an issue in the future.

In other Public Works news:

• The city engineer brought road project updates to the committee.

Southland drive is officially finished. The newest road extension runs from Ingram Blvd. all the way to the 7th street extension. The entire length of Southland Drive serves as a new northern connector in the city running all the way from MLK Blvd. in the truck stop area to 7th Street and the new front entrance to the Baptist Hospital Crittenden now under construction.

“The construction engineer has finalized the job and the warranty period has started,” said Standridge.

• Hino Road right of way issues continued to postpone the start of improving the bridge. The speed limit has been lowered to reduce the dynamic load for the bridge much traveled by semi-trucks running intermodal freight out of the rail yard. But original right of way paperwork had not turned up leaving Marion and West Memphis to back track to make way for the road so the bridge work could start.

“Hino Road, we are still dealing with the right of way information,” said Standridge. “We have submitted it to the state. There are discrepancies between the drawings and the statements submitted.”

• South Loop was slated for improvements, too.

“The design engineering has been submitted to the state and we are waiting for comments,” said Standridge. “It will go all the way to Airport Road.”

• Lane marking was completed in select stretches around the city.

“We did Mound City, Shopping Way, and intersections on South Loop, Martin Luther King, Rainer Road, Parts of Airport Road and Mid-America Blvd.,” said Standridge.

By John Rech