BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
A new garbage service is coming to Elmore County but not everyone will be impacted.
Only those citizens living in the unincorporated areas of Elmore County, along with citizens served through the City of Wetumpka, Town of Elmore, Town of Deatsville and Town of Eclectic will be served by Arrow through this new contract.
The remainder of the municipalities in Elmore County were offered to be a part of the new trash service contract but chose not to participate. Those not changing are City of Millbrook, City of Tallassee and the Town of Coosada.
In February, the Commission accepted a low bid from Arrow Disposal Service which will replace Waste Management for garbage disposal service but only in the areas mentioned above.
Richie Beyer, the county’s Chief Operations Officer, told the EAN, “We are finalizing the contract for execution, then you will be getting some info as we begin to sign residents up for the new service that will begin June 1st.”
For residents wanting more information on Arrow, visit their website at www.arrowdisposal.net
In February there were three bidders for the garbage contract that would handle residential solid waste and household garbage, with the Commission moving to accept the bid from Arrow.
“I appreciate Commissioner Henry Hines and the staff for all the hard work to ensure the county has the best possible service we can have,” Commissioner Bart Mercer said in February.
Commissioner Hines said in February, “I want to thank our whole staff and Highway Department and our manager of the county, Richie Beyer, for the many hours he has spent and we have spent, listening to our residents about our trash problems. Waste Management went through tough times. They worked hard to accomplish many things with Covid and all of the situations. But our citizens asked us to default on it and to put it back out for bid. And we are a great country that gets the option to do those things.” Hines said that many people are not concerned with many issues unless it impacts them personally.
“We didn’t hear about the great times they picked up trash. But we heard all the complaints. We listened. I have been out for the last three or four months with the garbage situation doing research with Mr. Beyer and the Highway Department. It is tough when you put it out for bids to six or seven (companies) and you only have three responses and one is a no bid. So that tells you the situation out there.”
At the February meeting, Commission Chairman Troy Stubbs said that Commissioner Hines “has probably taken more calls related to trash service then any of us for any other matter.” Stubbs said it was a “perfect storm” for Waste Management, dealing with Covid, challenges with equipment and drivers. “We are excited to move forward,” Stubbs said.
In Monday night’s meeting, Commissioners said they want to assure county residents that the contract with Arrow is being finalized. Residents that will be impacted by the new garbage service provider will be contacted to set up new can delivery and establish service.
Beyer said that while the contract is being finalized, the next step is to finalize communications for signing up for new service and executing delivery of new cans.
Chairman Stubbs said Monday, “I have been receiving a lot of questions with regards to the Arrow trash disposal contract, and billing questions with Waste Management. Those things are all being worked out. Waste Management has done a great job of answering questions that people may have if they pay a quarterly bill.” With two months left in the contract with Waste Management, Stubbs encouraged citizens to reach out with questions, and to have patience as the service transitions in the coming months.
“Arrow will be reaching out to all Waste Management customers to establish new service, contracts and trash cans will be coming in next few weeks and months. If you have not heard from them yet, it will be coming soon. Thank you staff for all of their efforts,” Stubbs said.
In other business Monday, the Commission accepted the resignation of Janice Horton from the Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission. Nominations for that appointment to fill the open position are due by April 11, 2022.
Also, there will be a public hearing Thursday April 21 at 10 a.m. for the proposed vacation of the unnamed road off Shadow Wood Lane. This is an old right of way through an older subdivision that has not been developed. The public hearing will be held in the courtroom and coincide with County Government Day.
Commission Reports:
Chief Operating Officer Richie Beyer – Herbicide operation in the county began with public works last week. The mowing schedule has moved up and will begin April 1.
Commissioner Henry Hines – Spring cleanup is April 22-24. The same weekend is also a cleanup for Russell Lands at Lake Martin and HOBO. “The whole county will be going through a nice cleanup process in April. Remember to go to our website and register your teams. We welcome all of them. I congratulate Holtville girls sports teams as they got a head start. They wanted to do some pre-cleaning last weekend and picked up a lot of trash around Holtville/Slapout area. I really appreciate them.”
Commissioner Mike Daugherty – He offered thanks to the economic development staff in work to bring Bella+Canvas to the former Russell Plant on Hwy. 14. “There is a lot of behind the scenes work they do that they do not get credit for, that we do not see. But I just want to tell them how much we appreciate them. Even last week they were over in my District at Monster Mountain working to see what they can do to help.”
Commissioner Bart Mercer – Mercer said that in line with economic development, the Alabama Dept. of Labor reported a 2.6 percent unemployment rate for Elmore County for January. That is down from January of last year when it was 3.1 percent. “That is a positive difference. I appreciate all our businesses in the county and the effort they put forth to keep our people in the county employed.”
He also thanked ECEDA for their work in Bella+Canvass moving to a portion of the old Russell Plant. “They will be starting a textile cutting facility there with an initial investment of $11.9 million and over 500 jobs. That is a significant increase of money into our county and availability of high paying jobs. We welcome them to our county and look forward to the benefits they will bring our citizens.”
He also thanked ECEDA for working with the Alabama High School Rodeo Association this past weekend at Brush Poppers Cowboy Church. He said it was a great event, and thanked Commission Chairman Stubbs for speaking at the event. “I really appreciate everyone’s hard work and the volunteers.”
Chairman Troy Stubbs – He offered congratulations to Commissioner Desirae (Lewis) Jackson on her recent wedding.
In economic development, he said, “We had a big victory with progress made at the Russell Plant. I continually hear from people who drive by and wonder what is going on. I am certainly appreciative of our economic development team working with the state to make sure it is occupied and providing substantial job opportunities for Elmore County.”
Stubbs encouraged all Elmore County residents to remember Spring Break is coming for all Elmore County Schools. “I Encourage all of you in coming weeks to be engaged in community with youth. Find meaningful ways for them to be occupied and safe. We do have the time change and that often brings a lot of life back to the community. We want to look for ways we can serve others and encourage people to do the right things.”
