Minutes 08/28/1979 - Laserfiche WebLink

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"...... "",. 1-. TUESDAY AUGUST 28, 1979 The regular semi-monthly meeting of the Council of the City of Martinsville, Virginia, with Mayor William D. Hobson presiding, was held Tuesday, August 28, 1979, in the Council Chamber, City Hall, beginning at 7:30 P.M., all members being present, viz., William D. Hobson, Mayor; William C. Cole, Jr., Vice-Mayor; Barry A. Greene; L. D. Oakes; and Francis T. West. After the invocation, Council approved--as recorded--the minutes of its regular meeting held August 14, 1979. - Mrs. Marjorie D. Midkiff, Co-Chairman of the Martinsville-Henry County Clean Community Commission, appeared before Council and presented the following report on the work of the Commission since its inception, with Mrs. Midkiff verbally pointing out the apparent apathetic attitude of the general public toward the "clean community" concept, thus impeding the work and progress of the Commission: In the first six months of operation, the Martinsville-Henry County Clean Community Commission has made some noticeable progress toward its goals of reducing litter, educating the public, and studying the handling of waste in this area. The Clean Community System, as developed by Keep America Beautiful, Inc., recommends a five-component plan to help each community realize its goals, and the Commission has made significant progress in two of those five, with only one of the five receiving almost no attention. The local action plan includes reviewing and updating of litter-related ordinances, which the Municipal Operations Sub-Committee has under study at this time; and continuous education, in which the Schools Sub-Committee has made much progress with its elementary school programs. Effective law enforcement will be addressed in the next few months with workshops held for law enforcement personnel, and, hopefully, a more watchful eye cast on the casual "out-the-window and over-the-bank" litterer. The Commission has provided, and will continue to provide, forms of positive reinforcement to show people how pleased we are when they cooperate and when they actively work for a cleaner, healthier environment. The fifth component, that has not been emphasized as heavily, is improved technology in waste handling. Our landfills are kept in a sanitary manner, so the fault lies not in their operation but in the way in which they are utilized. According to Section 10-211 of the CODE OF VIRGINIA, it is a Class I misdemeanor to allow any load material to escape from any vehicle. Most of the vehicles used to haul refuse are equipped in such a way as to prevent this, yet we see a great deal of refuse that has escaped from vehicles because the proper equipment was either not used or not used properly. More intensive law enforcement of such vehicles will aid in the elimination of hazards along the roadways. This section also applies to personal automobiles and pickup trucks. . {'~ .~~"'. ~,~'~'l . ""-', "" ..~. ...&.-..._...._-~-_.....~--