I like to walk the alleys, and it is certainly enlightening. In the last weeks I have seen 2 prs. of men's jockey shorts (in awful condition) in 2 different alleys, one of them near a dollar bill, which I washed. Also, one of the least ''kempt'' alleys is the most interesting to scavengers like me: Some interesting plates, whole or broken, and glass tiles. Also some ''inspirational'' graffiti. It looks like the City cleanup people just bulldoze the junk to the side. Needs a volunteer group to clean it, I think. Anyone want to?

It's your Alley

The City Codes provide that the homeowner is responsible for their side of the alley to the midpoint. That does not mean you can use it for outside storage. It just means you have to maintain it within some reason. The code also says that homeowners are responsible for the right of way landscape areas next to roads. The City does not pick up the trash in the ROW, except maybe on Hardy, but not for sure and not frequent enough. Please place your trash in the large containers. Try to seperate out the recyclable materials to the Blue Rollouts. If the large 300 gal bin nearest your house is full, use the next. They are shared. If the trash bin nearest your house is consistently full or even overflowing, but the nearest down the alley is near empty it could be grounds for a code violation. But if most are consistently too full, then please contact a member of the Board, and we can have another 300 gal bin placed in a couple days. The City responds to this request very quickly.
Last year in a flyer from the Board, a 'Meet your Neighbor in the Alley day for 5 minutes' was proposed. If this occurs periodically, then the problem could go away. Please make yourselves aware of the bulk trash regulations too. Some things you are required to be hauled to the landfill on 40th street by yourself; generally those are 'building materials'. Suggest we talk about other options at next neighborhood meeting.

I will help you, Pat.  I will take a trash bag out every time I take a walk.  This brings up a related subject.  Since the recent bad storm, there is obviously a lot of debris to be cleaned up.  This will take time, and the City has brought out the garbage truck today just to load the branches and logs from trees they had to cut down in the park.

However, I'd like to see each neighbor clean up their own property(s), including sweeping up the street, picking up trash, etc.  I sometimes walk through the neighborhood and wonder where people's pride has gone.  Trash and yard debris can sit in the street or a yard for days, and no one will pick it up.  To anyone else reading this:  Please pick up trash and debris around your own property - HAVE SOME PRIDE!

 

Thanks.

Celia Liddil

Hi Pat!  That would be great to have a volunteer clean up group.  We can also contact the neighbors who live there and see if we can drum up their help--and maybe use it as a time to encorage cleaner alleys on a consistent basis.  Let's set a date.  

Marcia