Harvard Yard trash pick-up starts Jan. 1

Harvard Yard trash pick-up starts Jan. 1

Blighted community gets much- needed sanitation service

news@theeveningtimes.com

Garbage pick-up in Harvard Yard and Highland Park will officially start on January 1.

Crittenden County Quorum Court officially passed an ordinance to require mandatory trash pick-up and has contracted with Dedman’s Sanitation to provide the service to those two trouble spots.

“We have been working hard on this for three years,” said Justice Lisa O’Neal, who chairs the county’s clean-up committee. “This is the best solution we have found to the problem.”

Residents will be charged $18 a month plus a two dollar fee which will be paid to Marion to do the billing.

Marion already does the billing for the water accounts in Harvard Yard for Sunset, and also manages the water for Highland Park. “Marion is charging them two dollars to do the paperwork and their city council has already agreed to do this,” O’Neal said.

Having trash pick-up attached to the water bill will also give the county an enforcement mechanism because the water can be shut off for non-payment.

“And if this doesn’t work, the clean-up committee will look for another solution,” O’Neal said.

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

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 as dumping grounds for trash.

The county has already spent $5,000 and 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 will pick up trash on Wednesdays and will provide trash containers to every residence.

“The trash cans will be delivered this week,” O’Neal said. “And they will be billed a month in advance.”

County Judge Woody Wheeless thanked O’Neal and the clean-up committee for their hard work.

“Thank you for the work you put in,” Wheeless said. “It is much needed. There is no doubt about that.”

By Mark Randall