Citizens Need Kept Abreast of City's Infrastructure Planning

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a combined sewer (CS) is a type of sewer system that collects sanitary sewage and storm water runoff in a single pipe system. Combined sewers can cause serious water pollution problems due to combined sewer overflows (CSO), which result from large variations in flow between dry and wet weather. This type of sewer design (CS) is no longer used, but many older cities, including Huntington (WV) continue to operate combined sewers.

The EPA reports that about 772 communities in the United States have combined sewer systems, serving about 40 million people. CSO discharges during heavy storms can cause serious water polution problems in these communities. Pollutants from CSO discharges can include bacteria and other pathogens, toxic chemicals, and debris. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a policy in 1994 requiring municipalities to make improvements to reduce or eliminate CSO-related pollution problems. In 2000, Congress amended the Clean Water Act to require the municipalities to comply with the EPA policy.

Some U.S. cities have undertaken sewer separation projects—building a second piping system for all or part of the community. In many of these projects, cities have been able to separate only portions of their combined systems. High costs or physical limitations may preclude building a completely separate system. What are the City of Huntington’s plans to mitigate this infrastructure issue? If we had funding, what course of action is physically possible? Are there written plans for the best possible long-term solution? Is there a current cost estimate for implementation? An informed citizenry will support our governmental leaders, if kept abreast of on-going efforts in planning to rebuild our infrastructure. If additional stimulus money, or other federal funds, become available in the future, will we be ready to build?

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Voluntary Drop Off Recycling Program Can Work In Cabell County

Since 1995, the Berkeley County (WV) Solid Waste Authority has been striving to provide a convenient, efficient and cost effective recycling program for the residents of Berkeley County. Their dedication to the environment has resulted in the development of one of the most comprehensive voluntary drop off and curbside recycling programs in the region.

Why Recycle?

• If all morning newspapers read in the United States were recycled, 41,000 trees would be saved daily and 6 million tons of waste would never end up in landfills.
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  Recycling an aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television set for three hours.
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  Each year, steel recycling saves the energy equivalent to electrically power about one-fifth of U.S. households for one year.
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  The aluminum beverage can returns to the grocer's shelf in as little as 60 days after collection.
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  Americans buy over 85 million tons of paper per year-that's about 700 pounds per person.
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  Most aluminum recovered is used to manufacture new cans.

Citizens of Cabell County must develop the will to voluntarily recycle, and they must support the efforts of the Cabell County Solid Waste Authority as it addresses the issues of future solid waste disposal in our county.

The future environmental and economic sustainability of our area is dependent upon our resolve to reduce solid waste, while reusing as much as possible through a convenient, efficient and cost effective recycling system, which must be an important element of our solid waste disposal planning.

To see a copy of the Berkeley County voluntary recycling ordinance, click on this link:

http://www.berkeleycountycomm.org/docs/ordinances/recycle.pdf

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Classic “Public Good” Requires An Informed Citizenry

Cicero said, “The welfare of the people is the highest law.” He was speaking of the classic “public good”. It is what the public needs and wants. The radical approach in preparing and putting plans into action is to keep the public fully informed, including the systematic implementation of plans for resolving public issues.

Huntington’s citizens are woefully uninformed about these issues:

· The court-ordered closing of the Dietz Hollow landfill
· Plans for a solid waste transfer station and solid waste disposal
· The separation of the currently combined storm water/sanitary sewer system

"Journalism is a classic 'public good'", the January 25, 2010, issue of the magazine The Nation declared in an article. In the magazine's spirit, we encourage our local investigative journalists to review the existing records/historical background and report the status of these infrastructure needs to the citizens of our city. We call for this, as we consider the possibility that there are no written plans, because of the oft heard, “We don’t have the money.”

Unless our government leaders have plans to acquire construction documents and cost projections, they will not be in a position to proceed if, and when, another round of stimulus funds became available.

What is going on? America’s oldest understandings: that a free people can govern themselves only if they have access to independent information about the issues of the day and the excesses of the powerful, and that it is the duty of government to guarantee the free distribution of its inner-workings and planning to fulfill its duty of accountability.

Journalists have the power of inquiry and a bully-pulpit. The people of Huntington deserve a full disclosure of the City of Huntington’s plans to resolve these particular infrastructure issues. If the City of Huntington does not continuously disseminate full details of planning and progress, journalists are honor-bound to acquire the information and report it to their readers.

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County-wide Smoking Ban Will Require Attention to Unintended Consequences

Unintended consequences will continue, as the Cabell-Huntington Board of Health implements its new proposal to ban smoking in bars and gambling parlors in Cabell County. As with the earlier ban on smoking inside of designated businesses, and other public places, many smokers will be required to exit the bars and gambling parlors to smoke each time they wish to light up.

Since initially enacted, the original health department rule requires all smokers, both customers and employees of affected businesses, to smoke outdoors. The intent was for smokers to deposit their unspent cigarette butts in a disposal unit. Some businesses have chosen to provide cigarette disposal containers for the convenience of smokers; many have not. The Downtown Huntington Rotary Club has been providing the containers as a public service. Some smokers have chosen to use the disposal containers; many have not.

What have been the unintended consequences? The sight of cigarette butts lying all over public areas, even with disposal units present and available, mars Huntington and Cabell County retail shopping areas! The misplaced butts are obvious in the cracks of sidewalks and in adjacent landscaping and parking areas. As we have reported over the last four years, cigarette waste is the most littered item in Huntington and Cabell County. The just expanded smoking ban regulations will require thoughtful action on the part of the City of Huntington City Council and the Cabell County Commission.

We suggest legislation by both bodies to require all business owners to provide cigarette disposal units at each entrance to their businesses and the further responsibility to keep the area around the units and the sidewalks and grounds along the front of their businesses clean and clear of cigarette waste and other litter. Approved exterior smoking areas should be required and properly equipped to accommodate employees who wish to smoke. Proper penalties for non-compliance must be a part of the proposed ordinances.

Now, for the smokers who refuse to dispose of their cigarette butts properly, there must be a consequence for their unlawful actions. The city and county governments must assume responsibility for enforcing the current state and city laws related to littering. Other cities successfully maintain clean and attractive streets and highways. Our local government leaders must have the will to place the required monitoring system in place to neutralize the unintended consequences of the ever-expanding ban on public cigarette smoking and one of its obviously inherent negatives - improper disposal of its waste.

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Solid Waste Transfer Station A Critical Need For Huntington

Transfer stations can be an economical solution to reduce the cost of transportation of collected solid waste to area landfill operations. The City of Huntington utilizes a remote landfill in the state of Kentucky. Any city that wishes to centralize disposal and reduce truck traffic should seriously consider a transfer station. Transfer stations can also help to improve the efficiencies of any landfill by reducing traffic and lowering upkeep. The City of Huntington would be well-advised to add recycling operations to any future transfer station being considered.

It is our understanding that the City of Huntington has approved a consultants contract for evaluating the issue of solid waste removal and/or recycling. This is encouraging, as the issue of solid waste disposal and its inherent recycling benefits is a critical need, if we are to sustain the improvements being accomplished in the renewal efforts of our city.

What do you think?

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City Government Must Have The Will To Enforce Litter and Illegal Dumping Ordinances

Although Huntington's citizens are more focused on the issue of street litter in their neighborhoods and we have made substantial gains in reducing litter during the last four years, our city continues to be littered. Why?

Research points to several factors that may impact on littering behavior: lack of knowledge of the environmental effects of littering; litter has already accumulated; the more litter present the more people are inclined to litte; lack of social pressure to do the right thing; absence of penalties, or consistent enforcement; the quantity, placement and appearance of disposal containers at, or nearby, for easy disposal of throw-away items; people who litter often feel no sense of pride in the areas they are littering; they do not view the item as litter. (That is often the case with cigarette butts and packaging.)

Huntington needs a new comprehensive plan for minimizing street litter and illegal dumping. Citizens should encourage our city government to allocate the necessary resources to provide for litter receptacles and cigarette butt disposal equipment on every street corner in each of Huntington's thirteen identified neighborhoods. And why not require each business to have a clean and well-maintained cigarette butt disposal unit at each entrance of their establishment, since smoking is not allowed inside most places. The members of Huntington City Council and the city administration must ensure that this newly located equipment is serviced on a daily basis by a designated crew of city workers; or, how about a tax credit for citizens who pledge to keep disposal units clean and well-maintained on their own block?

Finally, the council and administration must implement the necessary enforcement operational procedures needed to effectively manage the existing city ordinances, which cover littering violations and the improper disposal of household trash and large household items, whether the occupants are an owner - or tenant. The enforcement should be announced and begun on a publicly announced date certain! The ordinances are in place; enforcement must begin!

Only our leaders can initiate the required actions - and Huntington residents need to encourage their council members to focus on this issue and develop a plan and seek funding for resolving this basic "image" issue! We must all commit to taking personal responsibility for getting our city cleaned up and for keeping it clean!

What do you think?

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Citizens Voice Concerns About Cabell Board of Education Proposal

Citizens are voicing their concerns about the Cabell County Board of Education's proposal to combine students from Enslow Elementary School with Beverly Hills Elementary students for the next school year by sending the Enslow students to the Beverly Hills school. A message sent to us today said (edited):

"On January 20th, 2010, beginning at 5:30 pm in the Cabell County Board of Education (Administrative Office on 5th Avenue in Huntington), a hearing will convene about moving all the Enslow students to Beverly Hills for the next school year. This is not the best move for the students. This move is to show the public that the proposed middle school will be built on a controversial site, whether the public likes it, or not. When will they start caring about the children."

What is your take on the controversy over the proposed site of the planned construction of a new middle school? (Click on "Post Comments" at the end of this posting, and have your say.)