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by Carey King
Sticks, branches and other yard waste longer than 10 feet or
wider than 6 inches in diameter will no longer hitch a ride in
Sylva's dump truck, should a trash ordinance proposed by town
board members Nov. 20 take effect.
The guidelines also require brush piles be placed in truck-accessible
areas on streets where town sanitation workers normally pick up
trash.
Since Sylva began in-house garbage pickup in October, its guidelines
for yard waste have been in question.
Public works personnel have not had clear direction with regard
to yard waste, said Daryl Cheatham, public works director.
Operating on the policy that "the town has a right to refuse
any pile deemed too big" has become confusing, Cheatham said.
It can be difficult to determine how big is too big, and also
how far to stretch the policy, he said.
"I had one guy who asked, 'If I put a little pile out here
each week, will you pick that up?'" said Cheatham.
Hauling off large loads can also get expensive.
"When somebody cuts down a monster tree, it takes us a truckload
or a truckload and a half to haul it off. We had one tree that
took four guys five hours to haul off," Cheatham said.
One truckload can cost the town between $75 and $100, based on
landfill tipping fees of $20 per ton.
Sylva pays Jackson County between $600 and $800 a month to dump
its waste, said town clerk Tommy Thompson.
Board members will hold a public hearing on the proposed ordinance
before their January meeting.
- Also during the Nov. 20 work session, town leaders agreed to
proceed with investigating for purchase the Ashley and Callahan
properties on Harold Street to determine if either is suitable
to house the town's fire department and provide expansion room
for its police and maintenance departments.
"(The fire department has) definitely outgrown the facility
they're in. They're using one rest room for storage," said
board member Maurice Moody.
The town's all-volunteer force currently responds to 450 calls
per year, which averages to more than one per day, said James
Rogers, assistant fire chief.
That busy schedule means that within five years the department
could be forced to hire paid firefighters, who will require more
space for living and storage, Rogers said.
"Usable land in close proximity to the center of town is
real scarce. Our recommendation is to go ahead and get this building
up and going in two to three years, before we have to start hiring
paid firemen," Rogers said.
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