By Loyd McIntosh, For The Tribune
CENTER POINT — The Center Point City Council heard from several citizens with concerns regarding issues with brush and rubbish pickup in their neighborhoods during the city council meeting Tuesday night.
Long-time Center Point residents Herbert Williams and Bruce Holder addressed the council during the scheduled public comment time to voice their concerns and ask the city for help in removing large piles of trees, leaves, and even furniture dumped in their communities and left for several weeks and even months.
“A huge pile of trees and leaves have been sitting so long until the plastic bags have just disintegrated,” said Williams. “There is also a couch that has been sitting across the street for months. I would just like to know when the city is going to start picking up some of this stuff.”
“It’s becoming like Detroit,” said Holder. “All this stuff is beginning to pile up. It’s been over a year since we’ve seen anybody come and pick up anything. I want to live like that,” he. Who wants to invite someone over to their house with it looking like that.”
Brush and other rubbish removal have consistently been an issue for the overtaxed Center Point Public Works department for some time. Making matters worse, Waste Management recently discontinued offering brush pickup, leaving Center Point in a tough spot to handle the demand, according to Mayor Bobby Scott. Other factors, such as the lack of a city dump causing reliance on other municipalities for help are putting the city in a bind.
“It’s a problem and we’re trying to do the best we can to keep up with it,” said Scott. “We have 7,000 rooftops and we have one brush truck, which is nowhere close to what we need to get that job done.”
At this time, the city’s public works department transports debris to Mount Olive, a one-hour round trip. Scott said the city has requested help from local areas and is taking steps to solve the problem as soon as possible. Additionally, during a recent emergency meeting, the city agreed to purchase a second brush truck to help handle the load. However, soon after the purchase, the city’s original brush truck experienced mechanical problems and is currently out of service.
The mayor said the city council is also discussing creating a new department specifically for brush pick up and other debris. “It would be five days a week, eight hours a day where we’re constantly in the neighborhoods picking up brush,” Scott said.
He asked for patience as they evaluate this and other available options, such as repurposing a dump truck for brush removal and organizing a series of neighborhood clean-up days in the coming weeks.
“It’s going to be a slow process, but we are determined to correct it,” said Scott. “We are determined to get everything picked up as fast as possible, but we’re kind of working with limited resources.”
Clearly frustrated with the problem, Holder was adamant that the city should consider even more options, such as renting equipment or hiring temporary workers. “You can’t sit on your hands and just say ‘we don’t have, we don’t have,'” said Holder. “We don’t pay y’all for excuses. We pay you full results.”
In other related business, the city council passed a tax abatement proposal for Capstone Realty, a real estate development firm that is planning a $4 million redevelopment of the Upland and Southwind Apartment Complexes located on Center Point Parkway near the Jefferson County Courthouse. The council heard from Sammy Soro, co-founder of Capstone via cell phone, who asked the council to consider a tax abatement plan of 40 percent over 12.5 years as well as other fee and permit waivers.
“We really are looking to putting a lot of money into those two complexes,” explained Soro. The plan, he said, would include the complete renovation of both properties with a total of 345 high-end apartment units, as well as other amenities, such as clubhouses, modern landscaping, new lighting, and security cameras.
“We appreciate the consideration and we don’t expect anything,” said Soro. “I think it will be a place you guys are proud of. I think it’s going to be a beautiful property.”
During a period of discussion, the council negotiated the abatement plan with Soro, settling on a 30 percent ad Valorem tax over seven years, but held firm on the fees and permits. “I’m a ‘no’ on the permit fees because we have to make money somehow,” said City Council President D.M. Collins.
“We’ve issued concerns with that property over the years,” added Collins. “Actually one of our big tasks as a council was getting the dumping addressed over there.”
Other business the Center Point City Council considered:
• The City Council appointed Kendi Whitaker to the Library Board.
• A resolution passed to solicit bids to demolish the sanctuary at 533 Sunhill Road.
• A resolution passed to upgrade the electrical wiring, audio, and cameras in the council chambers.