Rec Center trash is an eyesore

Watertower Clean-up Day took place last Saturday, April 2. Although quite a bit of trash and debris were cleaned up nothing was done to keep it that way.

The next day, which was Sunday, more trash had already begun to appear.

Bottomline? This is not acceptable.

The Watertower Rec Center is an eyesore in our Community. I keep writing to the Rec Center Staff, The Watertower Advisory Committee, Parks and Rec, and Cindy Bass. I have yet to receive so much as a reply. 

Neighbors in the 8200 block of Ardleigh have been asking for this trash to be contained for years now. Plastic bags are left outside the cans and the squirrels and birds pick open the bags and strew trash everywhere. This attracts rodents. In addition, the cans are usually blocking the public sidewalk, which is used by the students at Jenks Elementary School. It is unsafe and slippery.

Move the trash away from the rear of our properties. If you can’t contain the trash then move it further onto Watertower Property.  How about down by the front door of the Center?

Then there’s the issue of runoff. The runoff of mulch, sand, dirt, and trash from the Rec Center Property extends all the way to Ardleigh Street.

As a result, everyone has to wade through this muck to get to their cars. It is impossible to get to your car without wading through more than ten inches of it. The Ardleigh Street neighbors have shoveled out Hartwell Lane at least once a year with no help from the Rec Center or Parks and Rec. I had to hire someone to remove the debris from my sidewalk.

Watertower needs to help clean our street.

In addition, to help alleviate the runoff, an erosion tube should be placed around the parking area at the street until a more permanent solution can be found. These are available for under $100 at FarmTec.   

We are not willing to wait for the city to have money for a trash enclosure. Something must be done now. 

Here are three cost-free solutions:

Put a dumpster back by the building and have the trash truck back down the drive. 

Start using the shed to house the bins. You could even leave an end open - it doesn’t have to be locked but it does need to be used.

Move the trash to the front of the Watertower building and not our backyards.

Ann Pollack,  8205 Ardleigh Street

Editor's note: Due to an oversight by the writer, the print version of this letter  inaccurately included four neighbors as co-signers. The neighbors did not intend to sign it.