Following an outcry over scrap metal haulers traveling through residential neighborhoods, the Greenwood City Council is preparing a comprehensive truck route ordinance, which could be voted on in two weeks.
At the council’s regular meeting Tuesday, Council President Ronnie Stevenson said the commercial recycling center, Sims Metal Management of Mississippi, has not cooperated with the city in getting scrap metal vendors to follow established truck routes.
Sims is located at 405 Eighth St. Vendors are hauling scrap metal down several residential streets that already have signs indicating that no through traffic is allowed, Stevenson said.
Jagged metal pieces, nails and other debris are falling off the trucks and trailers and posing road hazards for neighborhood homeowners, he said.
Stevenson, who represents Ward 3, which contains both the recycling center and the residential neighborhoods, said this had been a problem for years.
“These people are tired of buying new tires and picking up scrap metal in their area,” he said. “It’s time to fix that problem any way we can.”
Police Chief Henry Purnell said it’s difficult to deter the scrap metal vendors since they must be observed littering before a citation can be issued.
“We do not have a policy for keeping anyone from coming into the area,” he said.
Thomas Gregory, the city’s chief administrative officer, said a comprehensive truck route ordinance can be drafted to address the problem. He said he would consult with City Attorney Don Brock concerning a resolution.
Benny Herring, director of the Public Works Department, said the situation is difficult given the number of people driving to Sims to sell scrap metal.
“They are taking scrap metal from all over the Delta. You see vehicles from Holmes County, from Attala County, everywhere,” he said.
Herring said certain items that the recycling center will not accept are merely discarded along Eighth Street.
“They are tearing that neighborhood to pieces,” he said.
An attempt to reach Paul Black, manager of Sims, this morning was unsuccessful.
For now, Purnell said, a police car will be stationed at the Greenwood Recycling Center on Commerce Street in an attempt to curtail traffic from using streets where through traffic is prohibited.
In other action, the council approved:
• Acceptance of a $209,000 grant from the Foundation of the Mid South for Baptist Town revitalization efforts. Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams said $60,000 of the grant will be used for the rehabbing of houses for the elderly and the disabled, in partnership with the Leflore County affiliate of the Fuller Center for Housing. The remaining $140,000 will be used for landscaping at three entrances into Baptist Town and for other beautification work.
• The sale of a vacant lot to Coy Lee Keys. The council approved the sale, but the resolution did not indicate a street location or a sale price.
• The sale of an alley between 1515 Carrollton Ave. and 1601 Carrollton Ave. to Pitts Package Store LLC for $200. The parcel is behind the liquor store.
The council also heard from attorney Billy Bowman regarding the upcoming redrawing of city ward lines.
Bowman, a former city attorney who has previously drawn ward lines, said the city’s population has shifted, according to the 2010 Census.
He said the maximum deviation allowed by the U.S. Justice Department is 13 percent. According to the recent census figures, the city currently has a 39.1 percent deviation.
“The wards need to be realigned. It is not as bad as it sounds,” Bowman said.
The attorney said a ward, under the existing boundaries, has 2,170 people in it.
“Twenty-two people is a 1 percent change, so a block could affect it. We’re talking about moving one or two blocks,” he said.
Any redistricting plan must be submitted to the U.S. Justice Department for approval.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
