No part of Bellefontaine is immune from trash and dumping, Bellefontaine’s Code Enforcement Officer Wes Dodds has learned in less than two years on the job.
“It can seem overwhelming,” he said Monday driving around the city to known problem areas. “I just have to focus on a little bit at a time.”
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Dumping is intentional, while trash snagged in fences, wooded area and brush comes from carelessness.
Mr. Dodds can issue orders to clean up mattresses, couches, appliances and tires dumped about the city or left behind by former residents, but there is little he can do about plastic bags, paper or trash blown about Bellefontaine.
“Some of it is about educating people,” he said, “and reminding them of the simple things such as not leaving plastic bags full of trash out for too long. Dogs, raccoons and other animals will tear into the bags. If the bags are placed in a trash can with a lid, there’s no problem.”
Commercial properties and apartment complexes need to make sure the trash bins have lids and encourage the residents to use the resource correctly.
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Trash accumulates outside of a Pratt Street apartment complex trash bin on Monday. (EXAMINER PHOTO | JOEL E. MAST) |
Service-Safety Director James Holycross recently went on a tour of the city with Mr. Dodds. He believes “the size and scope of the problem has grown.”
Mr. Holycross said it will take a multi-faceted approach to address the problem. The city will continue to go after illegal dumping, but it is time consuming.
Bellefontaine continues to use jail inmates to help with trash clean up, but it is a limited resource, he said.
Mr. Holycross hopes civic groups and organizations might consider adopting sections of the city and spending time picking up trash and debris every month or so.
Many wooded areas and creeks could be targeted and there are thoroughfares such as Gunntown Road needing attention, he noted.
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Blown trash is snagged in a fence line along Gunntown Road. The scene is repeated along other thoroughfares, wooded lots and creeks throughout Bellefontaine. (EXAMINER PHOTO | JOEL E. MAST) |
Since starting in May 2014, Mr. Dodds has sent out 1,631 notices of property code violations, 1,468 of which were resolved. Trash and rubbish account for 369 complaints, while overgrown grass complaints total 795.
The most problematic cases are property owners who don’t care, Mr. Dodds said.
One apartment owner has told the city he has no intention of cleaning up dumped furniture and appliances near the commercial trash bin at his Pratt Street complex. So the next stop for the complaint is the Bellefontaine Municipal Court, Mr. Dodds said.
Other properties are more problematic such as a former Cooper Avenue property owner who left behind a property where the house will be condemned and buildings full of rubbish. It is in foreclosure which complicates the enforcement process.
He, along with the Bellefontaine Police Department, also work on cases of illegal dumping where unauthorized people use a commercial trash bin.
There is a recent case where 30-some old television sets were dumped along a city right-of-way, stripped of wiring.
Residents can obtain special tags from the Utility Departments for curb side disposal of large items and appliances. For more information, call 592-3561.
Also, there are options with the Logan County Solid Waste Management District to dispose of electronics and hazardous household chemicals. The district also offers no-cost recycling options.
For information on the Web at www.logancountyrecycles.org.
To report illegal dumping in the city, call Mr. Dodds at 651-6049.
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