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By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal
The Lowndes County Commission is working to remedy garbage collection issues in the county, according to commissioners.
Recently, Lowndes County residents voiced complaints on the Lowndes Signal’s facebook page over delays in garbage collection services in the county. And Monday, Calhoun Community residents came to complain in person.
According to posts by Jason Goolsby of Lowndesboro, garbage that should have been picked up on a Monday was not picked up until Saturday afternoon. He posted on Saturday, July 12, “Saturday at 330 finally got picked up.” Sarah McDanal Fancher posted, “Monday pickup came last night, four days late.” And Kyla Fulmer Hagood of Lowndesboro also posted on July 12 that her garbage had not been picked up by 7:37 p.m. that night.
Monday, residents from the Calhoun Community came to voice complaints over the garbage collection service to the County Commission in person.
Lowndes County Commission Chairman Robert Harris noted that Dale Purdie, owner of Purdie and Sons Refuse (the contractor for the county’s garbage collection service) was present regarding issues that needed to be addressed. Harris said Purdie reaffirmed,
“We are working on it” and said hopefully this problem will be resolved soon.
Purdie told The Lowndes Signal that he is working with the county. “Everything is back on schedule,” he said. “I apologize to the residents of Lowndes County for the delay of service.”
Commissioner Brenson Crenshaw said, “There are still some other issues that have to be looked at in relation to the garbage service and some other things we have questions about.”
During Monday’s County Commission meeting, Margie McDonald of Mushatt Road said that problems with the garbage collection over the past three weeks had been going on for the whole year. She said over the Fourth of July the garbage was not being picked up.
She said she has a sick person in her home, and her garbage has to go somewhere. And if the garbage can is filled to capacity and garbage is put out on the side of the road, “Wild animals want to tear it up,” she said, “and then you have another problem picking up the garbage.”
McDonald said she has taken garbage to Montgomery and has burned it and is paying her bill. McDonald said when she drives Hilltop Road and Lowndes County 37, “Garbage cans are piled up to capacity. Garbage is everywhere. If he (Purdie) does not have the equipment, y’all need to get rid of him.”
Harris pointed out that the county is in the third month of a three-year contract renewal with Purdie and Sons. He said the county has been in contact with Purdie and is putting things in order to remedy the problems. However, he said, “There is a procedure that we have to go through.”
Crenshaw said he too had been a victim of the garbage collection problems, “But we will get it rectified.”
He also addressed the notion of someone going to jail for not paying their garbage collection bill.
Crenshaw said, “There’s a process that goes through with that also. You don’t just automatically get jail time or anything like that. All the enforcers know that there is a situation going on and they have a list of all the customers that are paying. If you are not paying your full payment, that does not mean they are going to send you a notice. Now Mr. Purdie might, but as far as the enforcement you won’t get a notice from the enforcement.”
He said of going to jail for not paying the bill, “That’s not the way it works.”