Dateline: July 19, 2001

City seeks rural support of trash proposal  

Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Clarendon city officials are once again asking rural Donley County residents to support a proposal that would close the county dump and bring that trash to town. But county officials say some rural residents want nothing to do with the idea.

“They just don’t want to see any changes made,” said Rhonda Aveni, who works in the county judge’s office and has fielded calls from rural residents.

Judge Jack Hall said comments were running about 50-50 pro and con regarding the proposal.

The city is making improvements to the Three Feathers Recycling Center, which includes five new roll off boxes that will be used to collect trash and recyclables. When completed this September, the facility on Front Street will be open seven days a week.

The county facility, located near the municipal airport about four miles from town, is open three days per week. BFI hauls off the trash through a contract with the county. The proposal calls for the county to contract with the city to provide the same service at Three Feathers.

Mayor Tex Selvidge says he thinks the idea would be more convenient for county residents and says the city already hauls a lot of county trash for nothing since many rural residents bring their trash to town.

According to Selvidge, a one-year contract would let the county try this idea and if it doesn’t work, they can always go back to the old way.

But Aveni said rural folks have told her they don’t want to haul their trash through town.

“It’s further for some of them, and many have the attitude that ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,’” she said.

Commissioners will take up the matter again at their next meeting. City officials hope rural residents will ask commissioners to make the change.

To make comments on this proposal, contact any of the county commissioners. They are Ernest Johnston, Don Hall, Bob Trout, and Henry “Buster” Shields.