Residents to haul own trash temporarily
Posted on:
Thursday, June 25, 2009 - 11:58pm
In an emergency Town Council meeting June 25, the panel decided it had no other choice but to put a temporary trash collection system in place. Large dumpsters, known as “roll-offs" will be placed at various sites around town and residents will take their own trash there for disposal. The interim solution will begin after July 6 as soon as the public works department can implement the plan.
The measure came about as a result of a June 23 referendum that rejected a planned for automated system with Trash-Away scheduled to begin the first full week of July.
Corporation Counsel Robert Weber called the future outlook for the town, in terms of breaking its five year contract with Trash-Away, as potentially catastrophic.
For complete coverage of the upcoming trash transition check the website and see the July 2 edition of The Citizen.
Comments
Are you kidding me!
Submitted by pat (not verified) on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 5:31pm.I am sick to my stomach that the town that my husband and I chose to raise our family in could be so political - What a mess, what a joke -- Who is worrying about the elderly people now? Will you provide someone to stop at my 87 year old grandparents house and pick up their garbabge? Neither of them drive so going to the "local" trash stops would be out of the question, so with that I would have to put my garbage, my elderly grandparents garbage in my BRAND NEW $40,000 Honda Odyssey in the scorching heat (oh what a smell) and drop it off????? Are you kidding me - We pay good on our taxes and this is not something I find acceptable -Will you give us a refund on our taxes? I think we deserve it after all this crap!!! Find a way or I think I will leave it curbside or in the middle of my road until someone comes to get it - LEARN your lesson fools, everything in this town is so freaking political. I am so sick of reading this crap in the Berlin Citizen too - Get a grip and get it right!
PS... Also for all you turkeys out there who think the garbages are a bad idea! Your kidding yourself! They are the cleanest, neatest, easiest way to dispose of your garbage! Oh ya but your so ignorant (REPUBLICANS) you wouldn't know that!
Dumpster Diving...
Submitted by BerlinRes on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 2:09pm.Wow! That guy from Southington really hates Berlin. Nonetheless, I do see the town provided dumpsters as an opportunity to finally get rid of the stuff in my garage that the manual trash pick-up would never take.
Don't be Sarah
Submitted by townie (not verified) on Sun, 06/28/2009 - 6:19pm.Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take the garbage out! She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans, candy the yams and spice the hams and though her daddy would scream and shout she simply would not take the garbage out. And so it piled u[ to the ceilings: coffee ground, potato peelings, brown bananas and rotten peas. Chunks of sour cottage cheese it filled the can, it covered the floor, it cracked the window and blocked the door with bacon rinds and chicken bones, drippy ends of ice cream cones, prune pit, peach pits , orange peels, gloopy glumps of cold oatmeal, pizza crusts and withered greens, soggy beans and tangerines. Crusts of black burned buttered toast, grisly bits of beefy roasts.... The garbage rolled down the streets of old Berlin town because the people where unaware of what trouble will abound
Where the sidewalk ends by Shel Silverstein ( with some poetic license)
Nice Job Berlin
Submitted by Glad to Live in Southington (not verified) on Sun, 06/28/2009 - 2:09pm.I'm glad that I never bought a home in Berlin. The excuses made to keep manual pick-up are absurd to say the least. The automated barrels are on WHEELS! They move very easily when you tip them slightly. In fact they are almost weightless no matter how much garbage you have. It's a matter of physics. You can tip the barrel to the point where it is easy to move.
As for not being able to throw out whatever you want...Have you heard of recycling in Berlin? I know for a fact that the recycling rates in town are ridiculously low. In fact the Town Hall, Police Dept., Board of Ed. and all of the schools hardly recycle at all! Everything goes in the trash! In Southington we have single stream recycling and we recycle more than we throw away. Imagine that!
And for you people with LONG Driveways, hire someone to take out your trash! You're rich enough to have the long driveway, you should be rich enough to hire someone to take it out for you.
I work in Berlin but I will NEVER live there. The Town and the Council are a joke! No one does what is best for the town. Maybe you should higher the threshold for referendum's while you're at it, and trust the people you voted into office! Oh wait, it's BERLIN... I forgot, that would be the adult thing to do and Mr. Argazzi and his cronies are no where near adulthood!
This decision will cost you more than you can imagine and it will be the REPUBLICAN'S fault for this mess! A bunch of blubbering, back door, cry babies.
Can someone explain this
Submitted by Gardener33 (not verified) on Sun, 06/28/2009 - 5:58am.Can someone explain this naive person what the heck is this all about? Where are the savings now that everyone, including the company with whom we dealt with in good faith, are scrambling for their lawyers?
Along those lines : Mr. Argazzi, If you were thinking about saving money am I correct in saying that I am allowed to save gas money as well by driving my garbage to the closest point to my house. Pray it is the dumpster, Mr. Argazzi, and not your lawn.
I may not be the smartest person when it comes to politics but this sure reeks of stupidity.
let put all the garbage on
Submitted by Russ (not verified) on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 5:10pm.let put all the garbage on the person lawn who caused all the problems
TRASH
Submitted by rd (not verified) on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 10:47am.I cant wait to put nasty garbage in my new car and drive it over to a dumpster. Will I receive a credit on my taxes for trash removal I think not.
Trash the council
Submitted by Seeing Red in Berlin on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 9:26am.How did we get to this position? A trash contract rammed through in February , with one bid?, political showboating in June , and Berlin to pick up the tab the rest of year. Now we face paying a lawsuit, and hauling are own trash. Trash-Away must be laughing all the way to the bank with thier lawyer. If only one bid was received in February, who else is going to bid now. I would be very interested to know why only one bid was received in February, and no one was concerned about it then. This process was screwed up from the start, due to zero oversight by the elected officials, and they still have not seen the big picture.
Bid Process
Submitted by Ron (not verified) on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 9:44am.Perhaps there was only one bid because no other waste disposal company submitted a bid. That's how the bidding process works. The bid was posted in public notice.
I don't know if you're familiar with who runs that business but I assure you it's not the Boy Scouts!
The problem is no one was
Submitted by Mealso (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 11:13pm.The problem is no one was paying attention during budget time (and Argazzi knew it). Less then 1,000 people came out to vote in April. Over 3,600 in June. Amazing what a little rhetoric and fear mongering can do to whip the citizens into a frenzy. Problem is that now we have a real situation on our hands that is going to cost this town a ton of money - money it doesn't have.
As mentioned by others here, Argazzi was hoping for knockout punch to the Democrats, instead I think he just gave himself the knock out - taking the town with him. Well done, Paul, Scott Veley, Joan Carey & Dave Evans.
Embarrassed to be a republican
Submitted by soon-to-be-former-republican (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 6:05pm.This latest antic by Mr. Argazzi is my last straw. I'm leaving the republican party because the party in this town is an embarrassment. I'm hoping my husband and daughter join me. This schoolyard grudge he has, because he lost the title of mayor, is embarrassing and ridiculous. Grow up or at least stop causing the taxpayers of Berlin extra money we cannot afford. If he was truly a fiscal conservative, he would have brought his concerns to light BEFORE the contract was signed. He's a lawyer, he knew that. I'm sure he also new that we'd be sued if the automated pickup was voted down - forcing Berlin to break that contract. If he thought that it would blow up in the face of the council, he is wrong, however, as many of us feel that the blame for any pending suit rests on his shoulders.
Have you driven through New Britain since Tim Stewart put the automated trash into place? There is no garbage strewn around on trash day anymore. No wind blowing over the trash containers so that the homeowner has to track them down in the neighborhood when he gets home from work at the end of the day. No missing garbarge can covers because they blew 2 streets away. Imagine that. I hope he stops by my house to pick up my trash on Monday mornings. Regardless, I'm done with the Berlin Republicans. Don't know if I'll be a Democrat, but I can always join my son as an Independent.
Next Vote
Submitted by me14 (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 5:56pm.If you are in a voted position in this town, you will not get my vote. Not a one of you.
Really...
Submitted by BerlinRes on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 2:22pm.GarbageBoy...to praise Argazzi is ridiculous! This guy, and yourself I presume, was/were asleep at the switch until the 11th hour. He couldn't have addressed this in February??? Argazzi's scare tactics with the town's senior citizens paid off for him in the near term, but will ultimately fail in the longer term. The Town will have no choice but to honor the Trash Away automated trash pickup contract because it will simply be too costly to unwind the existing contract. Read between the lines of Mayor Salina's issued statement, "The Council worked very hard to develop a balanced budget that included no tax increase and our number one goal remains the preservation of that zero tax increase, despite this amendment to the ordinance. More hard work will be required if we are to develop a solution to the many consequences of yesterday’s vote. Particularly in light of its timing which is well after the contract for automated was fully executed in accordance with our Town Charter”. Translation: it will cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars to unwind the Trash Away automated pickup...for that reason, Berlin is going automated. Sorry Mr. Argazzi...I'll be sure and give you a wave and a smile when I see you wheel out your automated pickup container to the curb (just like the rest of us).
Aragzzi and cohorts can come and get it.
Submitted by dirtyliberal (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 12:25pm.Hmmm. So I went and voted for the new system. Personally, I don't care one way or the other. Just take care of the trash.
Argazzi and cohorts won. Fine.
They better come up with a plan pronto. Or Aragzzi and cohorts can come and get it.
Trash Headache
Submitted by Sick of It (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 11:30am.this never would have happened if the council alerted the town "BEFORE" they signed a contract. That's usually how its done! the antics of our town officials just get worse and worse every year. I used to be proud to live in Berlin, now I'm just embarrassed. How do I get my $75 back for my 2nd can??!!
I believe that agendas for
Submitted by tiredofplaygroundpolitics (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 2:41pm.I believe that agendas for the town council meetings are posted prior to the meetings...If the people in town are concerned about what is happening, they should attend town council meetings or contact our council members, if they cannot attend. I for one am tired of hearing complaints after the fact. Become informed prior to...so our council members are able to vote knowing what the people want. I, too, am embarrassed, but because many of the voters in town either do not vote, and complain, or don't get involved until it becomes "personal", which this vote certainly was!
This would have never
Submitted by Voice of Reason (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 1:56pm.This would have never happened if we didn't have a disgruntled former town official who is sore that he is not in office, and who wanted to embarrass and discredit currently elected officials.
If he really did care about what was best for Berlin he would have contested the decision in February; the referendum would then have been held well in advance of the June 30 contract expiration date, thus buying the town ample time to find an alternate solution.
But I suppose since he is an attorney he has more disposable income than the rest of us and won't mind paying higher taxes resulting from his vendetta.
Hope everyone enjoys driving their garbage to the roll-offs. I'm sure our seniors will love it.
I think all the folks that
Submitted by Unknown (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 9:39am.I think all the folks that voted yes should drive around town and pick up the garbage.
Its easy to talk the talk, now they should walk the walk. Maybe Paul Argazzi will start a garbage service company.
Why not honor it? Because
Submitted by Garbage Boy (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 9:31am.Why not honor it? Because the people of this town voted not to! Paul Argazzi was right to give us the ability to vote on the way our garbage is removed. We dont want Automated. We voted against it thank to Paul's Efforts. Paul and I won! The Council should move forward as quickly as possible to restore manual pick-up.
You have no concept of
Submitted by RobNov77 on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 9:08pm.Garbage Boy you have no concept of finances or law, do you?
We had a vote - on the budget
Submitted by Citizen (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 7:06pm.We had a vote - on the budget where this trash proposal was included. Do we need to vote on every contract? Please.
I say give us a small tax cut
Submitted by Kensington Guy (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 7:13am.I say give us a small tax cut and let each homeowner contract for their own garbage. It's done in many other places and would make the entire problem go away. This issue is so stupid. I'm surprised Joan didn't come up with that, she's otherwise not very helpful in her current position. Plus she is worried she'll be blamed for this.... well I blame her and many others....
I have a better Idea
Submitted by Not-Happy (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 5:32am.Well,
the town resident's are really feeling the result of the animosity between Argassi & Salina. It is no secret that they cannot stand one another. This is the last straw however.
Instead of the temporary "large roll-offs", I have a better idea. let's all bring our garbage (and our now useless "Green containers" over to Argassi's front yard. Let him deal with the trash since he caused all this.
Nice job Argassi ... You have just created a mess greater than any land fill. This is going to cost the town a considerable amount of money ... Thank you Sir.
Nice Job Argazzi
Submitted by Anonymousatberlin (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 5:31am.Nice job Argazzi, how happy are you now? Please stop by my house and drive my trash to the "roll-offs". At least all of the other "yes" voters will already have their small trash cans loaded into the trunks of their Buicks so it wont that difficult to drive it across town and toss it into a giant dumpster. Dont hurt your backs, maybe Argazzi and his suportors can set up next to the dumpsters and help people lift their cans. Why dont we have the town setup a dumpster on Argazzi's front lawn and we can just dump our trash at his house? I am really looking forward to the tax increase or the cost of arranging my for my own trash collection. Nice job Argazzi.
Why not just use the new bins
Submitted by MR (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 1:00am.Why not just use the new bins while the biding process takes place? If we don't receive any "reasonable" offers, we can just continue with our existing automated contract. This should avoid any lawsuits by Trash Away.
If we receive any "reasonable" bids, then we can make the decision to break the existing contract. However, any new bid we receive will not be "reasonable" when we figure in the cost of being sued. Maybe the smart thing to do, would be to honor the existing automated contract and avoid the legal and financial burdens a switch would bring. Considering these circumstances, most residents would most likely support the existing automated service contract.
The answer to this problem lies in the phrasing of the referendum. The term "reasonable" is subjective. When considering the legal and financial ramifications of a switch at this point in time, any change would be unreasonable. The best thing for the town at this point, would be to honor the existing contract with Trash Away. Some folks may be angry, but staying with the automated service is the only "reasonable" solution.
Classic Berlin for ya......
Submitted by Trash_Talker (not verified) on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 10:31pm.Classic Berlin for ya......