15 MAY 07: TRASH TALK
A meeting in downtown Columbus Monday focused on an important local issue, which has been lurking out of the spotlight for a long time. It's nice to see race relations in the city have healed at last, because the big topic of the day was littering.
Columbus Police brought community leaders together to announce a new crackdown across Georgia on littering. At least the state had enough decency to delay this announcement until two months after the tornadoes in Columbus and Americus.
The theme for the new crackdown across Georgia is "Litter: It costs you." Imagine if we were in Singapore. The slogan could be, "Litter: It costs you one to five years."
So how does litter cost you? The Georgia Department of Transportation estimates it spends $14 million a year, to pick up litter along highways that's left by trucks. The good news is that most of the litter probably is recycled -- as rubber from one blown-out retread tire is turned into another.
(You mean the $14 million cleanup bill is only for litter left by truckers?! I'd imagine the losing lottery tickets I find along the side of the road cost at least twice that much.)
A top official with "Keep Columbus Beautiful" explained it's important not to litter, because all the trash lowers property values. And in a city with a property tax freeze, there's no fringe benefit once a year....
Columbus Police seem serious about enforcing the litter laws. One officer said there would be a "zero tolerance" policy -- which means countless outdoor weddings this summer will have to switch from confetti for the newlyweds to bubble baths.
Columbus Police didn't give an exact amount, but they made it sound like the fine for littering could run in the hundreds or thousands of dollars. And with officers hungry for that pay raise proposed by Mayor Wetherington, I wouldn't ask one about the maximum.
I learned in my youth to throw trash and litter in the appropriate places - or if possible, to avoid picking up trash in the first place. That's why you don't find any talk about supermarket tabloid headlines in this blog....
But as someone who uses trash cans on a regular basis, I have to ask - is this police crackdown really necessary? After all, officers admit they'll have to catch you in the act of throwing litter out a car window. And the last few weeks have shown police have trouble catching speeders on Moon Road.
Some people certainly need to learn the habit of NOT tossing litter from their car. More than once, I've driven behind someone who threw a sparking cigarette butt out the window - as if he's using his ashtray to hide his stash of illegal drugs, and he wants me to keep my distance.
But in Columbus, we already have several anti-litter projects. The late Lonnie Jackson started the Combined Communities of Southeast Columbus cleanup campaign -- yet that area apparently still has so much litter, the drive takes two months every year.
There's also the one-day "Help the Hooch" cleanup along the riverside every fall. Are Columbus Police going to patrol the Riverwalk on bicycles, too? What if someone tries to feed the ducks which waddle around South Commons?
Then there's the "Adopt-a-Highway" campaign, where groups volunteer to remove trash from one mile of a highway on a regular basis. Of course, litter already costs these groups - in terms of not sleeping in, on a couple of Saturday mornings.
Don't forget the city of Columbus uses prison inmates to clean up roadsides, including mowing grass and collecting litter. I've met a couple of people who actually brag about leaving stuff along the side of the street, to give those criminals something to do.
There's been more environmental "green" talk in this country since Earth Day than I've heard in years. But I fear this anti-litter drive by Columbus Police isn't going to amount to much. And if a high-speed chase develops when police spot a litterbug, the resulting trash along the roadside might wind up costing even more.
Now let's set a good example, and pick up other scraps of news from Monday:
+ Several Columbus gas stations which took back Friday's 12-cent price hike tried again, this time going up only six cents a gallon. C'mon, guys - no hardline Democrat in Congress would settle for a compromise like that.
+ The Muscogee County School Board discussed whether to create a "fine arts magnet school" for grades 6-12. Maybe I'm confused about this - but don't children begin using magnets for fine art much earlier? It's called Etch-a-Sketch....
(There's an old feud between teachers at Columbus and Hardaway High Schools, over which one ought to be a fine arts magnet. If this comes down to a school board showdown, Columbus should have the advantage - because it's won state titles in one-act dramas.)
+ The Ledger-Enquirer reported the first "CharBroil Steakhouse" will open within weeks on U.S. 280 in Phenix City. They're actually going to have a building for this?! Why not set up some grills in the parking lot, and have nothing but drive-through lanes?
(If there's any justice, the first employees hired at the CharBroil Steakhouse will be people who used to build actual CharBroils in Columbus -- or did they all find mill jobs, after production was moved to China?)
+ WRBL reported an alert has been issued at the Sugar Mill Apartments on Schomberg Road, because an alligator could be in the complex's lake. These University of Florida fans finally have gone too far....
+ Weeks of wonder on my part were resolved, when I discovered former WRBL reporter Megan Bradley is now with the "News 14" cable channel in North Carolina. She joins former Columbus TV reporter Gretchen Bartelt and meteorologist Joshua McKinney there - so if a new investigation of Bill Heard Chevrolet suddenly begins, you'll know why.
+ Columbus State University's softball team outmuscled Armstrong Atlantic State 8-4, to win its regional. The Cougars advance to the Division II national championship tournament in Akron, Ohio - but please, don't ask the players to take any soap box cars with them for practice sessions.
(The Most Outstanding Player of the regional tournament was C.S.U. pitcher Rachael Darr. Put her together with head coach Tiffany Tootle, and you have a team that's Darr-Tootl'in.)
+ Instant Message to Healing Stream Ministries on 13th Avenue: Did I read your flier right - your conference which opened Monday night has "five days of serendipitous overflow?" Has Columbus Water Works been made aware of this?
COMING WEDNESDAY: E-mail about a "madman" from Costa Rica....
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