Hampton Public Works Director Doug Tarr called this year’s city cleanup “a success.”
Tarr told the Chronicle that this event, which has been held for the last five years, is a great way for the city to work on their blight and nuisance issues.
This year’s event was held on April 17, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 25. During this period, community members were encouraged to stop by the city compost and brush site with their appliances, tires, furniture and more – some for a small fee. According to Tarr, this is key, as people typically have to drive all the way up to the landfill in Clear Lake to dispose of these items.
Another resource the city offers during this time: scheduled pick-up for items that need to be disposed of. A total of 70 families benefited from pick-ups this year, with 35 pick-ups each day.
Tarr said the clean-up event wouldn’t be possible without city clerk Kelsey Baskerville, who coordinated much of the clean-up – speaking with vendors, collaborating with Goodwill for the Goodwill truck, taking phone calls from community members and more.
“She takes the bull by the horns and gets it done,” he said. “Her efforts are always appreciated.”
He also thanked the team at the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, as they helped coordinate the pick-ups and provided the stickers for the items that required payment for disposal.
“They play a huge part in this,” he said. “They are very instrumental.”
Did the clean-up go perfectly? No, but that is to be expected, said Tarr, who explained that there will always be a few people who don’t follow the rules.
This year, they had a few people who dropped off dirty appliances – including several who left old meat in freezers – which only left more work for them, along with residents who climbed over the compost site fence during off hours and a number of residents from other communities who attempted to drop off materials.
“You will always have people who don’t listen, but there was less of that this year and I’ll call that a win,” he said. “We get a ton of positive feedback from the community on this event and they like having it. This is just another tool in the toolbox for law and code enforcement.”
