Middletown's Bulky Waste Amnesty

"Middletown will hold a free "Bulky Waste Amnesty Day" on Saturday, April 18, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Sachuest Beach parking lot, Sachuest Point Road [Second Beach]. Only bulky waste items will be accepted, no household garbage or construction debris. For more information or to participate, call Recycling Coordinator Will Cronin at 842-6519."


"A local Eco-Depot hazardous household waste and electronic waste collection organized by the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. [on] Saturday, April 18, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m [at] Sachuest Beach in Middletown. [It's] free for all Rhode Island residents, but an appointment is necessary for drop-offs to reduce waiting time. For more information or to make an appointment, call 942-1430, Ext. 241, or go to http://www.rirrc.org/ and click on the EcoDepot logo on the right-hand side of the page."




Thanks to NDN reporter Matt Sheley.

Free Electronic Waste Removal

THe NDN did an article on this. But as of now, the info is not posted on the town's website. I think it's important to know so here goes.


"As part of the program, residents may recycle old computers and accessories, printers, cameras and video equipment, along with televisions and items with Freon, such as dehumidifiers and air conditioners, according to Will Cronin, Middletown’s recycling coordinator." (NDN )


It's not open to businesses, and it's - FREE! Go to 19 Berkeley Ave. during regular business hours, Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., except holidays. Motor oil & scrap metal may also be dropped off at the fenced in area at Public Works.


"In Newport, Portsmouth and Tiverton, e-waste can be disposed for free as well. The drop-off spots are Newport’s Halsey Street transfer station, Portsmouth’s transfer station on Hedley Street and Tiverton’s transfer station off Main Road."


Thanks to the only reporter in the State assigned to the Middletown beat, Matt Sheley.


So, shouldn't the companies who make this polluting e-waste, be picking up any costs associated with its removal? And in a non-polluting way that does NOT involve shipping it overseas which is what happens now.

Middletown Council- Meets!

No, I couldn't make it. But I know some of you readers did. So what happened besides Council Bozyan stating that he's in the dark about conflict of interest laws? Both myself & Councilor Silveira had previously suggested that you might want to have public workshops with the Attorney General & Sec'y of St. regarding this & public meeting regs. Yes, it matters. The NDN likes to take the meetings & turn them into several articles (multi-tasking?). So only the trash program made it to today's paper & some other minutes (I personally thank you for that). Councilor Sylvia's proposal to vote on several solutions was sent- to the trash heap. Shocker.

So here are some quotes in case you missed them from their coverage. Thanks to reporter Matt Sheley:

“I feel it’s a great program, but like any new business, it needs time to get its legs,” Town Council President Christopher T. Semonelli said." And that means??? It's been 1 1/2 yrs. I'm also going to note here that you can now drop some electronic items off for zilch at the Public Works garage but there is NOTHING on their site about this. If you missed the Snooze article, tough luck!

“I think it’s getting better because of the new bulky-waste features,” Councilman Frank A. “Arak” Bozyan said. “If you count the number of people in this room, there aren’t very many people angry about the trash system.” Bulky-waste features??? Count the number of people in the room? How many were there? 30? 20? 10? So what? You don't actually have to be "angry" not to like it, do you? It would seem that the amount of non-participants & likely some of the participants, aren't exactly crazy about it.

It's not a good thing to totally rely on only one site for your news. I can remember when we had not only the NDN, but Projo, WADK, & Ron Santa's newsletter. Zilch now. And "Newport This Week" seems also to have bid us bye-bye. I can't always make these Council meetings, or School meetings. But I know that some of you go- so take some notes! You don't even to have to use your real name. Otherwise... everything I know, I get from the NDN. And I don't care how good they are, this ain't a "good thing." If recent history has taught us anything, this be it.

Middletown Trash

I've been busy; hence, fewer postings. And my only 2 yr. old Dell laptop seems to have died with hard disk problems. The warranty, of course, lapsed recently. Right now I do NOT have very nice things to say about Dell. I have a local vendor working on it & am ready to plop down big bucks for one with a 5 yr. guarantee & a back-up system. My son, the computer nerd, let me down & I have to plan a way to get my revenge. So two years worth of work gone unless a miracle occurs. Hmm, the dog could use a bath...

Matt Sheley of the NDN has two articles on Middletown's trash program up. One is of special interest as it gives you yearly costs on how much yearly trash pick-up with recycling wil cost you. In my recent meanderings around the town obtaining nomination paper signatures, this topic elicited the MOST comments. "We love it, BUT (there was always a but)..." or "We want Newport's system." To say that it needs tweaking is an understatement.

The first article deals with the need to obtain a $50 sticker. The second deals with residential program costs. Nothing said about paying private haulers who do not recycle to haul your trash away. You're on your own. But in today's society, you're frequently on your own anyway, right? And if you're an everyday Joe, you're manacled with heavy regs. Not so if you are wealthy & getting wealthier or are a so-called power broker aligned with the former. Sigh, but I digress. I could also blame much of this on the State (and fed'l, too) who led us down this rabbit hole but come out smelling like roses. But that's for another day (sigh again).

Trash, trash, trash, trash, trash...

The "Newport Daily News" has an interesting article in today's "Now You Know" column by Sean Flynn. You can compare Newport's program with Middletown's.

Newport's program is funded through taxes. It includes weekly collection of household waste, recyclables, yard waste and bulky items.

Middletown's is a fee program for trash bags & collection of recyclables every other week. Bulky items are extra $. The program is also supported through taxes raised. You either participate in the program paying for bags with recycling or you don't.

Newport's recycling rate is given as 28% while Middletown's is 45%, although finding any confirmation of this online is impossible. Why? You also have to remember that Newport has over 300 public trash cans (no recycling). Middletown receives no $ for its recyclables. No mention if Newport does or not.

I think that it's time for another poll. Which would you rather have? How will you pay for it?

Trash- Boom & Bust!

The never-ending discussion continues. Kind of reminds me of a soap opera. New facts emerged last night. It seems that the Council Prez Rodrigues is now saying that the program was never expected to balance itself- at least in the short term. And you know what they say about the long-term- we'll all be dead.

The program was also termed a success. Of course, that's narrowing your definition to 50% of what the program was supposed to accomplish- no town costs. It's a bust in that regard. As for recycling- that's much improved. Typical good news-bad news scenario.

It's time to look at the facts. The fact is that the Council (Rodrigues, Mello, Santos, DiPalma, & Barrows) repeatedly promised costs only to the users. Yeah, we forgot to ask when this would happen. And they forgot to tell us. What we heard was that you paid for what you threw away & recycling was free. This was always a stretch & a questionable promotion. Recycling is NOT free. That's why you can't just put out recycling items (DiPalma wants these residents to STOP).

So this program is going into debt with fingers still crossed- maybe summer residents will use the system. And maybe they won't. How many households would this be? 40%? Still no decision on how/who's paying for the shortfall or for how long. But bag costs won't go up. So I guess everyone pays.

This program forgot one important requirement in its adoption: "And then a miracle occurs." I couldn't even get a 95% participation rate if I offered a free treat one day only at "The Freeze."

I evidently left before the rather tumultuous ending (Projo). Rodrigues evidently called Sylvia a liar & asserted that everyone on the Council was aware there would be program monetary shortfalls for awhile. Now the Prez knows of whence he speaks calling anyone a liar. While not usually inclined to bring up past shortcomings (which we all have, BTW), he is the only one who was ever accused of publicly lying during his campaign & then decided to fess up (about his sis- the Senior Ctr. Dir.). He then lost an election.

It's all a matter of semantics. Anyone reading the recent reports regarding trash could figure out that there was a problem. But lost $ wasn't given. However the press and the Council supporters focused on the recycling sucess. Now when someone actually brings the whole program into focus and wonders where the shortfall costs are going to come from- like the users who are supposedly supporting the system or the taxpayers, suddenly heads go in the sand and intimidation rears its ugly head.

I don't care if you don't like each other. I don't care who "the decider" is. Stop with insults and play nice. So you don't all agree. Shocking. Who cares? But let's get some answers for the contuing shortfalls. If we're all going to pay anyway, why not a program that everyone can live with?

The assertion by the Prez, et al, that you need to force residents to recycle by offering them money incentives, is just wrong, Daddy. Newporters recycle almost as much as we do with no incentives. Some businesses do the same with no commanding laws and no monetary incentives. That's because we're not all blooming idiots.

If you gave me the choice of "easing into" the program by letting me begin to recycle at my own pace & comfort level by not punishing me with increased costs (and very small bags), I would happily use the town program and I believe everyone else would too. So charge me a fee already. I'm a big girl and get it (although I'm smaller than I used to be after losing 50 lbs.).

Newport's program works. It's not necessary to re-invent the wheel. Renegotiate the contract. BTW, I didn't realize that we had given up 3 or 4 yrs. of recycling income. So what is it? It is our money, right? Monies given up are monies lost.

I've really had a belly full of the in-fighting. It'd say it's juvenile but that's insulting to juveniles. So some of the Dems don't like Sylvia & Silveira & have no plans to endorse them. Boo hoo. DiPalma is put out to pasture by leaving the Council & running for state office. So DiPalma is praised (at least for now) while the others are given the cold shoulder. One doesn't even pronounce Silveira's name correctly.

This trash system needs a conclusion. How much longer can this agony drag on? You'll never balance the system out, so why pretend? Don't tell me it's what works best for everyone, because it's just not true. It's a complex, confusing program. Even users, let alone non-users have problems with it. That's why some trucks now have cameras and periodically all the trash needs to be inspected for proper bag use.

Please don't tell me the State cares. It only woke up to the fact that there was a landfill problem a year or two ago. The Resource Recovery also has very limited recycling compared to what it could/should be doing. It also made pretty free with our money with its many varied charitable donations.

Hey, they shoot horses, don't they? Half of the system works, half doesn't. So fix the half that's not working rather than insulting the bearer of bad tidings. Even the cowardly lion finally found "the nerve" and the scarecrow found his brain. Neither really needed "The Wiz." This ain't rocket science.

Thanks to Projo's Meaghan Weems who stayed longer than I did.

Middletown Trash Bombs!

For the program to be cost neutral, 95% participation was needed. Well, that did not happen- what a surprise. With slightly over 50% participation, the trash program is costing big bucks, the Daily News states that it is currently $300,000- $400,000 short in projections for next year. So how short is the funding current? 3/4 by the end of the fiscal year (Jul1 ) or appx. $250,000? That shortfall then is coming from all of us to subsidize a system half of us don't use.

The price/bag will be rising, most likely. So far the estimate is another $1.75 for either size. There are those who can't even afford what it is now. So how cheap is your trash removal now?

So what can be done? There is another 2 1/2 yrs. for the present contract. You could force everyone to pay. But how will this be done logistically? Assess everyone a flat fee? Forget the bag system? Or just take the shortfall from the General Fund yearly, thereby charging all of us whether we use it or not? The whole program stank from the beginning. Newport assesses everyone a fee on their tax statement. You recycle if you like or not. Their recycling rate is currently almost the same as ours.

Now we're stuck with a program which is not paying for itself which was the promise and premise behind the new system. One councilor voted against this system- Sylvia. The others seem to have been sold a bill of goods big on promises, but short on reality. To expect a 95% participation rate was a fingers-crossed-behind-your-back premise.

Councillor Silveira expressed concern that lack of participation will doom the program. He hopes for its success but would oppose subsidizing it with tax dollars.

Councillor Sylvia does not support this program. He prefers a tax supported program, as is done in Newport. He opposes also, stricter regulations for private haulers.

Council President Rodrigues added that, if the program is included in the tax rate, it will compound in the future. He urged the Council to do what is best for the residents, as a whole. The proposed PAYT program is the fairest option, workable as details and start up problems are addressed. (from town's minutes 9-4-07)

Heck, I've worn glasses since I was 12 & even I could see that this program was problematic. There is supposed to be a Council meeting on this Mon., but I don't see it posted yet. A budget discussion perhaps?

Middletown Trash Program & Recyclables

The trash program isn't doing quite as well as we were previously led to believe. I was doubtful of the proclaimed 95% participation rate. It's actually appx. 65% (and this is still an estimate) with the town recycling appx. 45% of its trash. A minimum particpation rate of 95% is needed to keep the cost neutral for the town. This means oncoming probable cost expenditures for this trash removal system which you may or may not use. While I'm happy that some like it, I know of some who are having problems due to bag cost. No consideration was made for those who just can't afford the bags, let alone larger material's removal. I object to the whole system. The town should pay for trash removal.
Recycling is good. But the Johnston Landfill is going to soon be filled no matter how much recycling we do. Energy conversion of trash needs to be on the agenda. Yet we are doing little in this regard. Right now the Resource & Recovery Corp. is enjoying the $ it makes from recycling while giving little thought to the long haul. The buck stops with the Guv who isn't paying a whole lot of attention to this oncoming disaster either besides raising tipping fees.

The day after I wrote this I see in Projo that the Guv is going to audit the R & R Corp. for expenditures. Why didn't this pop up in the Big Audit? I also see a bill introduced to again raise tipping fees. The State is making plenty of $ off of selling recyclables. What are you doing with this besides buying more dumping land? We need to eliminate our trash, not just find new places to dump it. When was the last time they came here with their truck to pick up computers, etc.?

Gee, isn't it odd that only those in favor of the program showed up at the last Council meeting? Reminds me of the song about a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down.

Trash Tricksters on the Loose!

**Update: On the listpost it's been concluded that the missing bags are most likely the result of personnel being overwhelmed in can deliveries & forgetting to place packets inside the grey can. Sometimes the simplest & most obvious explanation is best.
There also has been lots of info on dog & cat poop & litter (much more than I ever wanted to know). It just goes in the gray can. At some point larger can-sized bags will likely be available, but not for awhile.
I went with another trash hauler myself.

When you receive your 3 trash cans, claim them fast. Evidently people are stealing the ONE free bag in the main can (not 3 free bags). Gee, I wonder why??

Cans are still being delivered this weekend.

Middletown's Trash Program Panned

If you have tonight's "Daily News" check the letters to the editor. Sorry, no link & I can't write the entire letter.
Writer James Crockett slams Councilors Mother Theresa Santos & Prez. Paul Roderiguez. He's upset about the current trash program and refers to it as a "reverse Robin Hood program that has the poor subsidizing the rich." He is referrin here to the old dump sticker price of $25/yr. versus a program that at the minimum will cost at least 8x this amount. Hey, join the crowd. I rec'd a solitication from Patriot Removal out of Johnston & I'm with them. Sorry, this program just won't work for my family. They said that they had been overwhelmed with the response from Middletowners (go figure).
James also slammed the "Indian Ave. crowd" (and you know who you are) for going along with this plan. He seems to be suggesting in his letter that the old drive-in site should be used for a new trash depot, but the School Dept. (who owns the site) ain't gonna let that baby go. However, there are other sites that could be utilized.
It's quite a letter from James. It's even more of a wonder that the newspaper printed it (owner - Indian Ave. crowd member). And James is a Republican to boot. I salute you! Have you considered changing parties yet?
I love the headline the editor gave it - "Middletown trash pickup gives us less for more." That about says it all. I maintain that it should be a basic town function to supply trash removal - much as Newport does. It could be a seperate fee or part of the tax rate. It would then also be tax deductible (thanks to my ever-vigilant hubby for pointing this out).

Voluntary Trash Program - NOT

I had a phone message from Waste Management who now removes my trash that beginning Nov. 1 they will no longer do so. So much for the "rumor" which Town Hall never publicly acknowledged. I pay $40/ quarter.
My household has 4 active adults & I don't want to recycle. I don't want to spend time opening both ends of cans & washing them. I don't want to cut away the plastic from paper/cardboard wrappings. I don't want to wash out plastic/cardboard containers. Life is complicated enough without 3 trash containers in the house & little ones scattered about.
I was willing to continue to pay for trash pickup, but at $3.50 for a large bag (and I usually have 4-5 bags), this becomes expensive for a program that supposedly will save me money. Now I can't even pay.
I'd even be willing to put out various recyclables (like newspaper) periodically, but no can do either. You're either in the program or not and with 3 large containers.
So I'm looking for another trash hauler. But I'm wondering how many are still around now that they must offer recycling programs. Yeah, no cost for the local permit, but how much for the state permit? Some voluntary program. Thanks so much. I'm so happy that the Council in its wisdom decided not to adopt Newport's program. Recycle or no, you still get trash pickup. Gee, I thought that's what taxes were for.
Call it "voluntary" & then shove it down my throat. I'll post on any alternatives that I find or don't find. Right now I'm not a happy camper.
Have renters or are a renter? Yeah, more good news.

Trash Collection Limited to Middletown's PAY-IT Program?

I did not make the trash education last night. Click here for more info. Click here to sign up for the Listserve.

The upsetting news I heard from town hall is that Waste Management will no longer be doing private pick-up here. This means sign up for the town's recycling trash pay system or... that's it. The town is passing a resolution (or maybe they already have) that all haulers must have a recycling aspect to pickup. The problem is that this requires a special permit which small haulers can't afford.

I might add that the Middletown Dem. Town Committee also endorsed this program. Why, I don't know since they have not endorsed anything else this year, but this they did. Despite the fact that two our of the four Dems. on the Council have problems with it. So relevant.

Last night I put my large 60 gall. container out - filled plus more bags. The only logistical system I can work out for my family of four plus a dog and cat, involves a lot more work & smelly cans/containers sitting around for two weeks. Three cans in my main living area with more cleaning to do? Lucky us. And I'll be able to spend a week in Paris with all the money I'll save - NOT. I hope that this changes otherwise there will be No Choice involved in trash removal. Stay tuned.

Trash Info Tonight at 7 p.m. at Gaudet School

Wed. nt. 9/12/2007 - Public Informational Meeting on the Town's Recycling Program, 7 pm at Gaudet Middle School

Middletown Trash Project Coming Soon!

This is the link if you want more info on Middletown's trash program:

http://www.middletownri.com/departments/refuse.php

You may sign up for service (I think). This link will give you more info & sign you up for a list serv.

$2.50/bag & free removal of some recyclables. It you already recycle or would like to, and are able to move the large carts up & down your driveway, you should sign up for it. Otherwise, weigh your other options. That's really the bottom line. You can also change your mind.

The Council will not adopt any other program but this & is prepared to sign a contract for with Waste Management. How long a period this contract is for I can't say. No, there is not going to be a transfer station until Newport/Portsmouth show some interest in sharing. And that's what the Decider says.
The Council also added 3 names to the Newport Co. Visitors Board without advertising (as Newport does) - it just re-appointed. As the White Knight pointed out (he wanted to postpone the vote), this was fairly smelly. This group controls a LOT of money - much of it acquired in Middletown. I also believe this board is paid. Next time around (two years) it will be advertised. Thanks to the Middletown newsletter for this last bit of info & to the "Newport Daily News" for reporting on the bag price.

Middletown Council Meets Tues., 9/4/07

The scheduled meeting Sept. 17 is replaced by this meeting and the Recycling Meeting on 9/5/2007 - POSTPONED until ? Those neighbors on the Forest Ave. blog waiting for the traffic report will have to wait until Oct. They should request the planned planned presentation date is & request report copies.
What is on the agenda is ---- TRASH!
This is the site of the recent report "Solid Waste & Recycling Program Analysis" for Portsmouth/Middletown prepared for the Aquid. Island Planning Commission. This report recommends the Payt program as a short-term solution. It does have concerns about households being able to store 3 container bins. Hey, they should look inside my kitchen area. Where on earth am I supposed to store my inside daily trash in 3 bins??? And, if you don't, you'd be better off with a private hauler.
I hear more & more complaints about the logistics of the program and the availablity/cost of bags. People want the same system that Newport has. The comments I hear believe that this should be a basic component of paying taxes here. Me, too. This discussion won't show up until the second part of the meeting. This is the time to show & voice your opinion. While much talk has been made of the need for recycling (which brings haulers & the State a LOT of money), one might also make the argument that the State should be doing more at the landfill to use technologies that convert trash into power. Since any $ the State uses for recycling goes into the General Fund, the argument could be made that this is, in effect, another tax (sigh).
The Newport Co. Visitors Bureau is asking for 3 appointments. A lot of attention should be placed to consideration of these individuals. This group has a LOT of our money to spend. There are also appointments to the Library Board. Sadly, only two applied for the two openings. I've blogged before about how serious consideration to taking this board & the library itself out of the town's responsibility & running them independently as non-profits (like Newport & Portsmouth do). The same with the Senior Center who is asking for capital funds outside of their budget. I still pose the question on membership there with verifying data. We spend far more than any other community.

Economic Development in Middletown

Tonight the Mayforth Group presents its report on the past, present, & future of econ. develop. here. With the Ford franchise leaving, the AutoCenter in town now for sale & as "an emergeing center for high tech," now is the time to pay attention to our future. We want good-quality jobs here that benefit the entire community, not just more Tim Horton's.

Come & listen & contribute. Enough of trash talk, let's get to the core of what can improve our community and keep it viable now and in the future. The Mayforth Group has some great ideas - many of which would cost us nothing to implement. Let's focus on key areas of interest & benefit to the town. Combine elements of this plan with the plan for the development of the Atlantic Beach side of town along with improvement of water quality and a quality waste treatment plan (sewers AND trash) and the Council may really be able to develop a forward-thinking atmosphere for our town instead of merely keeping to the beat.
Middletown cannot survive as merely the cheaper tourism place outside of Newport, the shopping mecca for Aquidneck Island, and one of the few town/cities in the State that meet the 10% affordability requirement. We need to keep the businesses we have & attract more good quality jobs. More second home & retirement residents may be good for the real estate market, but it's not going to allow residents to actually live & work here. This is one of the most important topics the Council will have on their agenda. Businesses bring in tax money and that is one way to keep local property taxes down.
I want my sons to be able to afford to live AND work here. What about you?

Middletown's Monday Special Council Meeting

What started off as a meeting for the delivery/discussion of the Economic Advisory Committee's report by the Mayforth Group has now, liked Topsy, "growed & growed." There will be more trash talk - notably on how to fund all the containers. For a topic that has been on the agenda for MORE than a yr., it's still in the development stage with no trash hauling contracts yet signed. Could be fun. It must be refresing for "White Knight" Silveira & "Tries Harder" DiPalma to see another councilperson on the hot seat for a change ("Inspector Sylvia). But how hot will it get?
Last meeting the agenda called for awarding repair of about 75 catch basin contracts & funding. The paperwork was not available when the last Council meeting's announcement was posted & reporter "Middletown Newsletter" Ronald Santa objected & rightly so. Ahem, Rep. Long, paperwork when dealing with the people's government matters. Could also be fun. It will be interesting reviewing the exactly location of these basins, if it is available. Hmm, I'll bet there are catchbasins being repaired in each councilperson's neighborhood. The estimates came in much higher than expected.
Another item has to do with land aquistion. Got me there.
So what promised to be a rather short meeting has lost it's shine. 6:30 is the time.

Trash, Trash, Beautiful Trash

**Update - I corrected items. Thanks to Projo reporter Meaghan Wims for staying alert more than I did. There were so many suggestions that it was hard to keep track. We're losing the dump, our taxes are going up, we'll be paying even more in user fees, yet it's worth more than an hour to try & figure out a way to squeeze even more $ out of us.
Matt Sheley's article is here.

**The bottom line is that the dump will be open in Sept. & Oct. If you have a sticker, you're golden, if not, $25 will do the trick. If you're a glutton for punishement, read the details of how the Council got there.
Tonight the Council met in a limited session. One 80 min. topic was -suprise, surprise - trash. The start of the program is being posponed for two months. I'm not really sure why, but it is. So the problem becomes what to do about the transfer station.
The stickers expire Sept. 1. The new pay-bag system begins Nov. 1. The discussion centered around how to handle keeping the station open for two more months & the logistics of this. Some discussion also centered around how to make money for this non-expected transfer station extension.
The cost of keeping the dump open is $70,000. There was discussion of using the bag system (of course, there are no bags yet) by Mello. Barrows thought a pay-per trip program might work. Councilwoman Mello was concerned that citizens were "taking advantage" by cleaning out attics & garages. Well, duh. You'd be mighty dumb if you didn't, wouldn't you?
The possibility of just letting people using their dump sticker for two extra months was brought up by Antone Viveros. I believe Councilman "White Knight" Silveira favored this also, but he was difficult to hear. I believe that the mics weren't quite loud enough & you must remember to speak into them. This may explain why Antone got applause & the White Knight did not. Or maybe more of "The Island Watchdogs" were present.
Town Administrator Gerry "Between a Rock & a Hard Place" Kempen suggested charging everyone $25 to renew their sticker (you can get 2 vehicles covered for this). "Mother" Theresa Mello, who knows how to use a mic, wanted $25 renewal, but NEW PEOPLE (and you know who you are) must pay $25/vehicle. This also initiated applause (but not from any of those "new people", I think). An audience member was upset that some people "abuse" their sticker & take OTHER people's trash. Hmm, usually this is referred to as helping out a neighbor.
Another attendee mused on what the committee would do if this system went bust (a good chance if not enough people sign up & bag costs soar). The bottom line is that Plan B is no plan at all. Remember this is an "ownership" society. You'll just have to take care of trash yourself. I'm no expert here, but "no plan" might get you "no votes" next yr.
Shirley Mello made a motion to decide later so that she could think about it more. This is called "Tabling a motion," by the way. AAAAGH! I thought that "Tries Harder" DiPalma made another motion to charge $25, but I was again having trouble hearing. Another audience member again suggested no charge at all if you had a sticker which would generate "good will," especially since we were switching to a somewhat complex program. Then "Inspector" Sylvia started to make a motion following this up (again, he knows how to use a mic).
At this point the Town's Attorney came to-attention. It's not that difficult to sleep with your eyes open. I do it all the time. Just too many motions set off an alarm (figuratively, that is). OOOh, that darned parliamentary procedure. The upshot being that Councilperson Mello withdrew her motion & Sylvia's motion passed - $0 renewal; new stickers - $25 each. Applause, applause. Perhaps because this discussion was over.
It was emphasized that the town was exerting "good will" here & doing us all a favor. Hmmm, who's money is paying for the transfer station again? Oh, that's right, it's ALL our money.
You know, if all this time spent on trash talk (confusing, I might add) could have been spent discussing how to achieve world peace, we'd be living in Nirvana right now. More than an hr. spent on a short-term logistical problem with a fairly obvious solution. More will follow. It ain't over, till it's over. And it ain't over.
Oh, and bulky trash will required buying either a $15 or $25 sticker & calling for pickup. Truly couldn't be easier.
I left at 8:45. They were still talking.
Newport this week's Andrew Martin also did an informative article.

Never-Ending Middletown Trash Talk

More changes already. The whole program now has a delayed start until Nov. 1. Confused?

If a town can't even provide trash services as part of its tax rate, what the heck are we getting for our $? Isn't this the basic purpose for paying taxes? More and more fees. This benefits whom most? Well, perhaps the politicans who promise to keep taxes down, for a start. But don't fees count, too? Especially for a service that we all need.

I'm for the same program Newport has. Simple. If this new program doesn't work out, you may well see some heads roll on the Council next year.

So if we were paying for trash collection at the dump, and most of the former costs came out of property taxes, and this is shortly kaput, why didn't my taxes go down? Basic costs like trash removal should be paid from taxes. It's okay to pay taxes for monies being held in various rainy day accounts for a police and ? fire station. But trash? You're on your own. I suppose they couldn't actually figure out a way to charge fees for police/fire use (although you'll get a bill for an ambulance).

I think that I'll stay on my own trashwise awhile longer. Right now, I haven't seen much to persuade me otherwise.

Middletown Council Meets - Trash Details

Not in attendance was Prez Paul Roderigues due to the recent birth of his first child, Samuel Paul with girlfriend Mary Dyl. Barbara Barrows was also not there. Shirley Mello served as Chair. She congratulated the Prez & stated that he was not there due to his "being tired." Tired, say what? Giving birth is exhausting (that's why it's called "labor"). Being a new Dad - piece of cake. Congratulations & best wishes all around.



Another important note. In a previous Council recap "Mother"Theresa Santos mentioned how she did not like to pay her taxes & health insurance costs, but always did and on time. There were loud comments from members of the audience that she had little health care costs due to Soc. Security & Medicare. She made it a point to show me her Raytheon Health insurance card. So let it be known that councilwoman Theresa Santos PAYS for her health insurance.



The crowd tonight was SRO. This was due to the presence of the Viking Raiders. This is a local motorcycle group who is quite active in our community. I know them from their active participation with the Newport Lions & the annual Soap Box Derby. Tonight there were presenting to the town a framed American flag. This flag was originally on the U.S.S. Saratoga during the Vietnam War and more recently it has been used in Iraq. Tom Ney & his bikers lent it to the town for one year for public display.



Most of the discussion tonight centered around how the new trash system will work. Every household (under 4 units) will receive 3 large 64 gall. rollings bins - one for trash, one for glass & cans, another for paper. Smaller ones will be available for the asking. You will fill the first with purchased trash bags (32 gall.) for appx. $2.50 from local grocery stores.



Trash will be removed every week. Recyclables with be picked up on alternating weeks - one for paper, another for glass/cans. Do you have to recycle? No. The cans will be picked up curbside & returned there. For those who are handicapped, special arra gements can be made. There will be more info coming on this & bulk removal also.



The dump will remain open for a time after the stickers expire, but you must use the purchased bags for trash. The dump's actual closing will be sometime in the fall, no later than Nov. 1.



There was some discussion by various members of the audience as to why the program couldn't be more like Newport's & just included in the tax rate. For homes valued at $350,000 the added tax would have been slightly less than $160. Of course for homes with a much higher evaluation, the cost for trash removal would be much higher (45 cents on the thousand). In Newport recycling is not madatory & receives no incentive. But then no purchased bags are required either. To privately employ trash haulers costs appx $360/yr. This program is estimated to cost $200/yr. This is figuring in savings from recycling.



In speaking with the red-haired Dugan Bros. (management of Waste Management), they mentioned the same program had just been initiated in Woonsocket. It went off without a hitch with only 10 complaints. I suppose I'll have to be offering my own incentive to children to seperate trash.



The Chair of the Economic Advisoy Committee, Robert Silva, spoke (I am also a member). Our initial professional study by the Mayforth Group on the current status of the town with plans for improving our status is ready. We asked the Council for a special meeting wherein this plan would be presented. It has some wonderful ideas for advancing the town and promotes the employment of a paid position to take the forefront of this plan. There are also plans to apply for various grants to advance our economic position. The date for this will follow along with more info.

Congrats to tech director Matt Wainwright who rec'd a commendation. He's done a lot of work forming a chapter of Government Management Info. Sci. How a tech nerd has such a good tan escapes me.

The Council was very well-behaved tonight, but it was most difficult to hear. The Chair has a most pleasant voice and kept her comments to a minimum (thank you). She still seems to have some difficulty with procedure. I left at 9 p.m. with the meeting still going on. I do have a life. But anything I missed will be avaible in the "Daily News" & Projo tomorrow along with the Middletown newsletter.