Leesburg Urges Residents To Help Keep The Town Clean

LEESBURG – The town is doing its part to help keep Leesburg tidy, and the board hopes residents will too.

Each residence in Leesburg is provided with one tote from Advanced Disposal, with the cost included in Leesburg’s agreement with the company. But some residents are not using the provided container, then complain if their trash is not picked up.

“Anything not in a tote, he doesn’t have to pick it up,” said street commissioner Craig Charlton at Monday’s Town Board meeting.

Charlton said one sanitation worker was off for a month because he slipped on ice getting out of the truck to deal with some trash not in a tote.

The sanitation trucks have an arm designed to grab the totes and empty them into the back of the truck. Drivers are not supposed to leave the vehicle, he said.

Residents may ask Advanced Disposal for a second tote for a monthly fee of $10 when they expect to have a lot of yard waste and other refuse. “Citizens can get a (second) tote for one month, two months, in perpetuity, but they need to pay for it,” said board member Tom Moore.

The issue was raised of residents who already have a second tote and are not paying for it. The board agreed that these residents will either need to return their extra tote or begin paying for it so everyone is treated fairly.

The residents will be notified.

Also during the meeting, Connie Watters expressed her displeasure with the board for the warning letter she received about her dogs. She’s “been more conscious” of the barking since receiving the letter, she said, but she was “blindsided” by it. “I would have appreciated a face-to-face warning instead of a letter,” she said.

The board should have shown the respect to come to her in person, she said. She also mentioned other homes in town, including a neighbor, with barking dogs.

Charlton said the letter is necessary to document the issue.

He said he sees and hears other violations, but “until someone brings a complaint to the town, we can’t do anything about it.”

The board assured Watters that nothing personal was intended by the letter.

“No one is picking you out of a crowd,” said Moore.

 “Anybody this happened to would get the same treatment,” said board member Doug Jones.

In other business:

• Moore reported that Stacy’s will reopen next week, according to the owner. The restaurant sustained damage in a fire in August.
• Derek Tenney of Tenney & Sons reported that he was called to Leesburg Elementary when eight pumps with the sewer system went down. He said valves on the system’s pods were cracked and breaking off. He also noted that the original installer “cut corners” with the pipes, “so they just easily snapped.” He said he was able to get the needed work done on spring break so school wasn’t disrupted.
• The board approved the ordinance regulating any fines issued by the town. A first offense will be fined $25; second offense, $100; and third offense, $200. Board President Christina Archer said the residents will be given plenty of warnings and notifications before receiving a fine … “at least two months.”
• The board will begin taking steps to refinance the town’s sewer bond. Residents will not see a reduction in their monthly sewer fee with the refinancing, but “the new bond will eliminate the need to increase the cost,” Jones said.
• The town’s Memorial Day parade is planned for 10:30 a.m. May 27. Charlton said there will be a service downtown before the parade, which will be followed by a service at the cemetery.

The next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. May 13 at the Plain Township Fire Station.