Litter in McDowell Co. Report 06.27.22
06.2022
Lonnie Bewernitz with the Crooked Creek Precinct heads up the Crooked Creek Committee Projects. The committee was formed after the McDowell Co. Democratic Convention 2022. If you see something of interest in this report and would like to join a committee, please email us at the mcdems.com website.
Abandoned Mobile Homes
Don Miller, with the abandoned mobile home removal committee, contacted Katherine Ladnier with McDowell County. She has had success in contacting the owner of an abandoned home in the Bethlehem community and requested a removal plan. The owner has 90 days to remove the home. We will follow the progress and consider this the first success when it happens.
For information about this ordinance please contact Katherine Ladnier at 828-652-7121 or visit:
https://www.mcdowellgov.com/departments/planning/ordinances/Abandoned_Mobile_Home_Ordinance.PDF
Litter
There is a lot to learn about litter in McDowell County! Litter reporting and pickup are addressed by Keep McDowell Beautiful under the umbrella of the NC Cooperative Extension Service.
Keep McDowell Beautiful,
McDowell Cooperative Extension Service
Matt Burneisen, 828-652-8104
McDowell Co. Democratic Party has adopted State Street, Marion from South Main to Baldwin Avenue. It is the longest available street in the city to adopt! If we organize a litter clean-up for State Street the KMcB office will provide trash bags, grabbers, and gloves. The Dems would notify KMcB when litter pick up was complete and they would arrange for the filled bags to be picked up. The McDowell Co. Democratic Party is organizing volunteers for this project. If you would like to help, please let us know at: mcdems.com/contact.
KMcB also provides supplies for “one-offs”, one-time litter pickups like the recent one on Old Fort Sugar Hill Rd. organized by volunteers from the G5 Trail Initiative, Kitsbow, Hillman Beer, and Old Fort Ride House, and others. Anyone may organize a one-off event, pick up the supplies, and call after the event for filled bags to be picked up.
KMcB provides supplies and pickup within the Town of Old Fort to groups wishing to clean up within town limits.
NC Division of Prisons provides inmates who, at no cost to the county, pick up litter on and around Lake James. Supplies and pick up for this are also provided by KMcB. This prison official sits on the board of KMcB.
The McDowell Co. Sheriff’s Dept. has an Environmental Enforcement Officer (currently the position is vacant) who addresses the illegal dumping of 10 or more bags of garbage and bulk construction waste. This officer is a member of the board of KMcB . Although they will deal with a single bag of discarded trash, there have to be 3 or more pieces of mail to one address contained in the bag for the officer to contact the offender.
NC Dept. of Transportation
The NCDOT also has a member on the KMcB board. All of the roads in the county are owned by the NCDOT, except for within the city limits of Marion (and Old Fort, which was addressed earlier in this report).
Adopt A Highway is available
https://www.ncdot.gov/initiatives-policies/environmental/adoptahighway/Pages/default.aspx
Submit a Swat-A-Litterbug Report
Litterbugs are contacted and encouraged by the NCDOT to stop littering and become informed of littering laws. The license plate of the vehicle of the offending litterbug is required for filling out the form.
The NCDOT allows citizens an online form to use for reporting litterbugs:
https://www.ncdot.gov/initiatives-policies/environmental/litter-management/Pages/swat-a-litter-bug.aspx
This seems like good information and we encourage participation. Please let us know if you might help.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Elliott
McDowell Co. Democratic Party
