City Clean Up Completed

Saturday was a perfect day for getting out the trash in Lamar.  City crews and volunteers gathered at the Public Works office on South Second Saturday morning, got their assignments and last minute reminders about what and what not to take, and they were on their way.

A brief drive around the city streets showed a mixture of refuse and tree limbs, but it appeared as though the refuse weighed more heavily for a pick up.  Front end loaders were also dispatched to those streets where an abundance of sofas, bed frames and previously used toilets were located.

Most residents decided to get out the trash a lot earlier than Saturday morning, as the informational flyers had requested, with some piles beginning to pile up on Tuesday.  Lamar Public Works Director, Pat Mason said there was a decent turnout of volunteers again this year, “We missed the LCC softball team this time, though, as graduation ceremonies at the college coincided with the clean up.”  Mason said he has noticed a slight downturn in the tonnage of debris collected.  “We’ve been running the clean up for several years at this point, and a lot of the large materials have been collected.  It’s not as though someone will buy and throw away a stove every couple of years.”

The volunteers and city workers enjoyed a BBQ break at noon at Willow Creek Park.  Burgers, hot dogs, beans, salads, drinks and desserts were provided, but at that point, Mason said the collection work was probably more than half way completed.  May 2 was also a free dump Saturday at the City Landfill and City Transfer station.  The next free weekend is coming up on May 30 and 31.

By Russ Baldwin