County plans fencing project at Storker’s Knob green box site
County Administrator Kim Chiddo said on Oct. 9 that to her knowledge, within the past three months, a total of 12 citations have been issued for misusing green box sites around the county.
Floyd County announced on Monday, Oct. 6, that the green boxes at Storker’s Knob were being removed “due to misuse.”
“Frequency of individuals leaving refuse outside and on top of the greenboxes led to debris on surrounding private property,” the county said in a statement, which was shared on official county channels, including its website and Facebook page.
County residents expressed their frustration with the decision in the comment sections on the county’s post and on “Anything Floyd Group.”
Some said the county should issue more tickets for the misuse of the convenience centers, while others questioned the authority of the county to remove green boxes paid for by tax dollars. Others said the “misuse” could be a result of residents who are unable, for one reason or another, to lift their trash into the dumpsters and that the county should find a solution, such as a lift, to help those individuals.
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County Administrator Kim Chiddo said on Oct. 9 that to her knowledge, within the past three months, a total of 12 citations have been issued for misusing green box sites around the county.
She said while the local bear population remains the leading cause of needing to remove sites (to break their patterns), misuse, safety, and requests of private property owners, are also reasons the county may pull a site. (If a green box site is removed due to bears, they are typically removed for six to eight weeks, Chiddo said in August.)
Many convenience center sites throughout the county are located on private property and not on property owned by the county. This means that if the property owner (or neighbors) request that the site be removed for any number of reasons, the county will likely do so to honor property owners’ wishes.
Chiddo said last week that the decision to remove any green box site “is not taken lightly.” There are a total of 21 sites across the county and 106 boxes.
“The employees at the transfer station only report issues or concerns to the County Administration,” she said. “Once the Building Official (Mark Bolt, who oversees the Landfill) and the County Administrator research the issue at the site, a decision at this level is made to adjust, move, or remove the boxes all together.”
County Administration, including the Board of Supervisors, Chiddo said, “shares the community’s concern and frustration” about losing green box sites. The county “recognizes how important these sites are for residents,” she added.
In efforts to find solutions to the county’s green box problems, the county is exploring purchasing tracts of land to establish convenience centers, like the one on Franklin Pike, throughout each district.
The Board of Supervisors has also heard presentations from Building Official Bolt about the cost of purchasing compactors for certain sites across the county and estimates regarding construction, such as grading, adding fencing, and other improvements.
At the Board’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 14, Bolt presented a graphic of the Storker’s Knob site with proposed fencing of about 265 feet, not including gates.
Courthouse District Supervisor Jerry Boothe said he doesn’t have a problem with trying the proposed layout to see what happens, and Supervisor Kalinda Bechtold of Indian Valley said that if the bears make a mess within the fenced-in area, at least it’s on the county’s property.
Boothe said that’s true, until the bears decide to drag it up the hill.
The public bid for companies interested in installing the fencing is open until Oct. 23, County Administrator Chiddo said, and there’s a completion date on the project of 60 days once the Board approves the contract, she noted.
Bolt said one bid had been received so far.
Learn more about the bidding process at www.floydcova.gov.