Murphy – A sudden decision to staff and adjust hours at all 10 convenience sites in Cherokee County has angered hundreds of users.
Following the Fourth of July weekend, the county’s 10 solid waste convenience centers will be gated and open to the public only when attendants are present, the board of commissioners decided May 29.
“People were abusing them,” and the surveillance system was not serving as the deterrent county leaders hoped for, said Randy Phillips, chair of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners.
A Cherokee Scout article about the planned changes on June 5 prompted more than 300 comments when it was posted on Facebook. Among the critics was Justin Hyde, the Republican nominee and presumptive winner to replace the outgoing Phillips.
“Dump sites needs to be open 24 hours a day,” Hyde posted.
“The county has spent thousands on surveillance. Leave them open, and when the folks start trashing them, send them folks a ticket. Let’s not punish every taxpayer.”
Much of the concern was over whether sites would be open at times that would be convenient.
“Ridiculous,” Courtney Andrew Lanphere posted. “You know most people work, and the hours are not accommodating for the working people at all.”
Here are hours effective after the July 4 weekend for the county’s 10 convenience centers:
- Candy Mountain-Hiwassee Dam: Reduced from 60 to 40 hours. Monday-Wednesday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Caney Creek: Increased from 40 to 58 hours. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 2-8 p.m.; Wednesday, 1-7 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Granny Squirrel: Reduced from 40 to 22 hours. Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Thursday, 1-7 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Hanging Dog: Open 40 hours. Monday-Wednesday-Friday, 1-7 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Cherokee County Landfill convenience center in Marble: Open 70.5 hours. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Martins Creek: Open 40 hours. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, 1-7 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Mountain Folk Center in Ranger: Increased from 40 to 60 hours. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 1-8 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Peachtree: Open 40 hours. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 1-7 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Texana: Open 40 hours. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, 1-7 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to w6 p.m.;
- Unaka: Open 40 hours. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 1-7 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Neighboring Graham County faces a similar situation, with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality notifying that county that failure to address violations could result in fines of $15,000 per day.
Under Cherokee County’s plan, hours will be expanded at the landfill, Caney Creek and Mountain Folk convenience centers – the county’s three busiest convenience centers. Hours will be reduced at Granny Squirrel and Candy Mountain, which are the two least busy convenience centers.
The plan aims to synchronize hours of operation at the sites so that when one is closed, the next closest center is open.
All convenience centers would be closed on Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving Day. Cherokee County convenience sites are available only for county residents with proper identification.
Avoiding abuse
A plan years ago was to move away from scattered unattended green box locations to six or seven staffed convenience sites so that any property in the county was no more than 7 miles from a site, County Manager Randy Wiggins said.
With changes underway in neighboring Graham County, it leaves Cherokee as the only county in the region that still has 24/7 unattended access to convenience sites, he added.
“Open only during staffing is the only way to truly manage efficiently and enforce our ordinance,” Wiggins said. “Cameras help but do not enforce and only help after something has already occurred – simply reactive.
“We have found out that it is practically impossible to enforce and when able, the cost of enforcing a violation is much more than what is received through any fines that may eventually be collected.”
Cameras are still necessary to cover things that may occur outside of operational hours, to cover claims of accidents, to serve as protection for attendants who work at the sites, etc., Wiggins said.
“This change practically eliminates the need to pay someone to monitor camera footage when their time can be much more productive in other areas,” he said. “It also eliminates the need to have a rider on the truck with the driver by eliminating the things that get thrown onto the ground that must then be placed into a can by our employee.”
Staffing also eliminates scavenging and greatly reduces illegal waste that should not be placed within the green boxes, Wiggins said.
It also keeps non-Cherokee County residents from using the sites.
“Even with this change, I believe we still offer much more in the way of service to our citizens both in terms of the number of locations people can use as well as our hours of operation,” Wiggins said.