The city of Greenwood, with two of its four knuckle-boom trucks out of service, has been struggling to keep up with yard waste piling up on city streets.
Candace Clolinger, who lives on Bell Avenue, said it’s become a familiar tune.
“Every time I call the Street Department, they tell me one of their trucks is down,” she said.
Clolinger said there’s been a bag of leaves out in front of her home since July 3.
She said she talked to someone in the mayor’s office who assured her the bag would be picked up Saturday. It was still there as of Monday afternoon.
Mayor Carolyn McAdams said Monday that she had been under the impression that the city was caught up with trash pickups.
The mayor said the city has contracted with Leflore County Department of Solid Waste to assist with trash pickup. Leflore County trucks worked in the city Saturday.
McAdams said one of the knuckle-booms that is down will require $10,000 in repairs.
Rather than spend that kind of money on a truck that is five or six years old, it might be better and less expensive for the city to pay off the existing lease early and get a new truck instead, she said.
Susan Bailey, director of the Greenwood Public Works Department, said crews went down Bell Avenue on July 12 and will be back on that street Thursday.
One of the trucks that has been down came back from the shop Thursday and is back in service, Bailey said.
The issue of trash, which is the technical term for yard waste, came up at last Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
Bailey said at that time that the assistance of Leflore County crews would help with the backlog of pickups.
“We did make headway,” she said. “We were able to start our Monday route.”
Bailey said the department typically starts on East Claiborne Avenue and works back to the north.
Clolinger said she’s not impressed with the city’s response.
“I’m just tired of it. I’d like to have the outside of my house clean,” she said.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
