Dateline: October 18, 2007

Clarendon Aldermen talk trash

Clarendon Aldermen listened to a proposal by Allied Waste to privatize the city’s trash service during their regular meeting October 9.

Cynthia Dove represented Allied Waste, formerly known as BFI, and outlined the company’s proposal. She said Allied would purchase all of the city’s Dumpsters for $10,000 and agree to replace 150 of those with new containers in the first year of the contract with the remaining containers replaced over the course of a five-year contract.

Dove told the board that Allied’s prices would be locked in for 18 months and then be subject to annual increases based on several consumer price indexes.

Residential Dumpsters would be picked up once a week, and commercial Dumpsters would be picked up twice weekly.

Allied’s Ray Allen said the cost to the city for this service would be about $17,000 per month.

The board took no action on the proposal and said they would discuss it at their next meeting.

In other city business, Rhonda Howell, who lives on South Parks Street, returned to address the board regarding water quality at her home.

“I just wanted to come see how we’re coming on the brown water, and let you know that I’m still here,” Howell said.

City Superintendent Jim Roberts said his crews have been flushing the water lines, which seems to have helped the water quality, which looks bad but is still safe.

Howell said she sometimes puts off doing laundry because the water stains her clothes, but she agreed that it is better and noted that she “can at least see the bottom of the bathtub now.”

Roberts said the city has received a grant to replace the west water tower and that he hopes to be able to replace some of the line in Howell’s neighborhood when that project is done.

Roberts reported that the big bores on the waterworks project on the west side of town were complete and said the contractor expects to start the cross bores this week.

Smith reported that City Hall had been receiving calls from people wanting to know when Halloween is. The board agreed that Halloween is on October 31 just like Christmas is on December 25.