BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
PHOTO CREDIT TO ELMORE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Who among us is concerned with the amount of trash on roadsides?
If you live in Elmore County, please consider attending the work session and business meetings of the Elmore County Commission. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge that can be attained, and not all of it is necessarily on the agenda. At the end of each work session meeting, Commissioners are given time to reports on things happening in their areas. Below is the report from Monday night’s meeting, and a lot of the discussion pertained to the terrible amount of trash that can be found on roadways in the county and what they are doing about it.
Meetings are held at the historic Courthouse in downtown Wetumpka on the second floor in the courtroom. The next meeting is Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. and is OPEN to the public. Masks are required during the Pandemic.
An Elmore County Pride group was recently established, which is overseen by Commissioner Henry Hines. He is actively reaching out to individuals and organizations, asking them to help fight back against litter in the county. Other commissioners have also stepped up and have planned individual events in recent weeks to pick up trash.
The Commission has also been promoting the Anti-Litter Critter campaign with named mascots from area schools. Signs with the critters will appear on county roads in the future, reminding residents to stop littering.
Trash and weather have a lot in common most of the time. As Mark Twain said, Everyone talks about it…but no one does anything about it.
That is NOT the case here when it comes to trash. People are fed up and making strides to greatly improve the beautiful views along roadways in Elmore County. If you or your organization wants to join that fight, contact Commissioner Henry Hines or the Elmore County Commission. Visit their website at elmoreco.org
COMMISSIONER’S REPORTS from Feb. 8 meeting.
From Commissioner Bart Mercer:
“The Prison Reform Act of 2015 adversely impacted the county jails across all of Alabama. This past week the Legislature passed SB 36 and it is headed for consideration by the House. This will go a long way in relieving some of the unintended burdens on the counties, specifically as it relates to county state inmates who have to sit in county jails for a period of time who have violated their parole. The DOC will also pick up the medical expenses while they are in county jail. So we appreciate our delegation members who are in support of this. “
Broadband Expansion in County – “For an update on Broadband in the county – We continue to work with providers to expand Broadband access to the County. Last week we met with one provider that laid out a large plan they have to expand in Elmore County. We are continuing to work with other providers. We have a call with one in the next 10 days and we hope for them to tell us they are looking to expand and offer services in the county. We hope to share more details in the coming months but we are very encouraged by what we are hearing.”
Thank you Millbrook Revelers, City of Millbrook – “Thank you to the Millbrook Revelers. They had their annual Millbrook Mardi Gras Parade this past Saturday with drizzling rain and cool temperatures. When I turned the corner to get on Main Street I was very surprised by the number of people on the side of the road (for the parade.) It was a very successful event and parade overall. I appreciate the Millbrook Revelers and the City of Millbrook for making it such a great and successful event.
Commissioner Henry Hines:
County Highway Department – “We have had a lot of cold weather and rainy weather. I want to thank our Highway Department. They are out doing the best job they can right now repairing potholes. During cold weather it is hard to get our machines to work. Now they are out taking care of those and they are working hard.
“Our dirt roads, and all the rain we have had…they are working hard on getting those graded out. When it rains 24/7 for a couple of days, it makes it tough.”
Talking Trash – “Our first Elmore County Community Pride group will meet here at 6 p.m. Thursday. I want to thank several citizens that have volunteered already and are picking up trash on our highways that is a major problem. We need to educate our citizens in this day and time about pickup trucks….not putting trash in the bed of a truck and not letting it blow out. Because it is going to blow out. Our Waste Management representative is here tonight and they are well aware and really watching their trucks making sure they are not strowing trash. We have had several good comments about the drivers who got out picked up the trash on the side of the road.
“The Citizens Group is going out and working with local organizations to pick up trash. I want to thank Chairman Stubbs because he has a group in Redland. They picked up 55 bags of trash in two weekends. That was a great job. Commissioner Lewis and Chairman Stubbs have a couple of areas in town and picked up several bags. This (past) weekend, I had a group that was out there (in Slapout)…we picked up 34 bags of trash.”
Commissioner Hines said he appreciates all efforts to pick up trash by residents of the community and welcomes all ideas.
Commissioner Desirae Lewis:
Talking Trash – “I want to add on what Commissioner Hines said. District 5 will be having a trash pickup Feb. 20. If anyone needs more information, please let me know.”
Black History Program Planned – “There will be a Black History Program at W.B. Doby Activity Center (at Wetumpka Elementary) as well as celebrating Black History Month. 10 a.m. to Noon if you would like to attend.”
More information on the event: Former W.B. Doby students, Winfred Wise, Bobby Pierson and Andre Jackson have planned a tour of the newly renamed W.B. Doby Activity Center at Wetumpka Elementary for Feb. 8.
In recognition of Black History Month, the public is invited to come to Wetumpka Elementary School and tour the lobby. Pictures of Mr. W.B. Doby, Mr. Robert Geeter and Mr. Theodore Jackson, Sr. are in the lobby along with a plaque on Mr. Doby.
The letters for W.B. Doby Activity Center are on the building. A program is planned for the event. Wear Your Mask!
For more information on the event, contact Winfred Wise at 404.210.3479 or email at Winfred.wise@att.net.
Chairman Troy Stubbs:
Talking Trash – “I appreciate my fellow Commissioners and the dedication they have to the citizens of Elmore County. We have a lot of positive things happening right now. I especially commend Commissioner Hines for his efforts in coordinating and getting our litter pickup efforts coordinated and getting us to a point we have volunteers out participating.
“What happens is other people see them on the side of the road and think twice about throwing littler out on the road. And then they begin to think about what they can begin to do differently and certain habits that they have. Commissioner Lewis and I were picking up litter in front of Dollar General on Coosa River Parkway a couple of Saturdays ago and a couple of things I noticed – Disposable masks are the new type of litter and they are everywhere. They blow around…I guess the term ‘Disposable’ means just throw them wherever you want.
“I am thinking about habits I have and maybe I can change. Don’t get a paper receipt unless you need it. If you go to the store and get a drink, don’t get a receipt. That receipt is going to end up, in my case, the floorboard of my truck. When I open my door it can blow out. It is a small thing that we can all change. Last thing….bundle your trash and tie your bag.
“If you are just throwing it loosely in the Waste Management big bin, if it is loose in there, when it goes into the back of a truck, there is a strong likelihood it can blowout if it is not tied up. Small things we can all do and I think it can change a lot of circumstances that we are facing with litter in the county. We all can take a part in this. It is very gratifying to pick up litter and look back 20 feet to see clean grass. You know you have done something.”
Shortly after a little pickup near the Chapel Road Dollar General recently, Stubbs took to Facebook about his concerns. He wrote:
“Shout out to those who helped cleanup Chapel Road this morning. Jenny Stubbs, Chris McLaughlin, Debbie Davenport Clark, Desirae Lewis, the Sanford’s and the missionaries.
In just a few hours we filled 16 giant bags of trash and enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing a clean roadside. A lot of time was spent at/near Dollar General. I’ll be reaching out to their corporate office to find out what it’ll take for them to take responsibility for their horribly maintained property. 7 bags picked up at DG alone!”
Tulane Building Update (Former Tim’s Pharmacy Building) – “Last week we closed on the Tulane Building in downtown Wetumpka, sometimes referred to as the Tim’s Pharmacy Building. That has been a longstanding effort from this commission over the last four years to navigate through the legal process and through the AG’s office to get it done. That building was closed and is now in the hands of the Redevelopment Authority in Wetumpka. It will be moving to private hands and will be a developed building that will become a tax base for our county. It was a challenge but I appreciate our commissioners and staff for keeping our eye on the goal.”
Support Student Athletes – “All of our schools in Elmore County are starting their Spring Sports so I encourage you to get out and support the student athletes at our schools. This is the time last year when everything got canceled if you remember. Baseball, softball….everything was canceled. So they are very excited about getting back out on the fields this Spring.”
Important Calendar Dates:
Feb. 15 – Elmore County Administrative Complex will be closed in observance of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson’s birthdays.
Feb. 22- Commission Work Session at 5 p.m. with the Business Meeting immediately following.
Feb. 26 through Feb. 28 – Severe Weather Preparedness Tax Holiday.
March 8 – Commission Work Session at 5 p.m. with the Business Meeting immediately following.
March 8 – NACo Virtual Legislative Conference – Policy Steering Committee meetings.
March 17 – ALGTI Mandated Roads and Bridges Commissioner Training.
March 17 – NACo Virtual Legislative Conference – Board of Directors and other NACo Governance meetings.
