EAST PALESTINE - Village residents could get the opportunity to have recycling picked up from their homes.
Lisa Hamner, of CSI Environmental, approached council this week to discuss the opportunity being offered by Chris Jacobs of the Tri-County Solid Waste District. She said Jacobs approached CSI to work with the district to develop and implement a plan that would improve participation of residential recycling in the county.
"He asked us to work with an area that we thought would be a good candidate and we immediately thought of East Palestine," she said.
She said the program will improve the looks of the village since community bins are at times overflowing with trash.
"The amount of stuff we are throwing in the dump" is ridiculous, she said. "Recycling numbers in Columbiana County are very low."
Councilwoman Endia Wisser said she recently began recycling and was amazed at how much it has decreased the amount of refuse in her own bin.
Councilman Scott Rauch said a curbside recycling program is "way past overdue" and agreed it would improve the village.
Hamner admitted recycling is often costly but said the company and waste district can work with the village to create a program that could result in no cost to residents.
"I think a lot more people would participate if it was (picked up) at their house...there is a dense group of people here and I think it will work," she said.
If council approves the program East Palestine could be the first non-franchised curbside recycling community in the county, she wrote in a letter she gave to council before speaking.
Council approved contacting Jacobs requesting he attend a council meeting to discuss the program further.
In other business, a project to replace an old and deteriorating waterline under Moore Lane will be delayed 30 days now that council has approved removing a portion of the project. The removal of boring under East Main and Railroad streets will not affect any other part of the Moore Lane project, which will continue unchanged with the exception of the delay.
Council had previously approved combining the Moore Lane project with the East Main Street project for funding purposes but has since decided it is more expedient to move forward individually.
Councilman Fran Figley said there isn't a need to commence with the bore project at this time and added that if council decides to move forward later that is always possible.
Village Manager Pete Monteleone said removing that part of the project eliminates about $92,000 from the cost.
Finance Director Traci Thompson said the Moore Lane waterline replacement will now get underway in August.
Council also approved:
- The 2013 preliminary budget.
- Removing Wood and Garfield avenues from the chip and seal program since they are now going to be paved. (Rauch abstained from the vote due to living on Garfield Avenue)
- Resolutions excluding Salem for an alternate method of apportionment for local government funds and local revenue assistance to be distributed in 2013, and approving the new alternative method.
- A contract with Pete Monteleone as village manager. Contract salary is currently $65,000 a year.
