ST. PAUL - The amount of litter seen around town has one Town of St. Paul councillor requesting something be done to address the situation.
Coun. Gary Ward brought up the issue during Monday night's regular council meeting, as an addition to the agenda. While he didn't bring a formal request forward, Ward did recommend administration consider hiring back some of the parks and recreation staff who had been laid off about a month ago.
"I take pride in this community," said Ward. He pointed out there will be a variety of jobs that will have to be done this spring, such as hanging main street banners soon. He noted that some staff members would pick up garbage around town, even though it may not have specifically been part of their job.
Ward stated he was not happy with how the town looked and felt council should be aware of the issue.
"It's a big department to look after for two people," said Ward, speaking of the parks and recreation department.
Town of St. Paul Mayor Maureen Miller said it was an issue she could address in the municipality's monthly Town Talk. She also added, keeping the community clean is "the responsibility of everybody."
Spring Clean Up
The Town of St. Paul, County of St. Paul, Town of Elk Point and Evergreen Regional Waste Management have once again partnered together for a spring clean-up that will allow residents to dispose of fridges, freezers and water coolers that contain Freon, for free. Normally there is a $20 Freon removal fee that has to be paid by residents.
Items can be taken to transfer stations in the region. In the past, the program was only offered for a couple weeks in the month of May, but councils have decided to expand the program to a full month this season. The decision was made due to more people being home and available to clean-up, due to COVID-19 measures that are in place.
