By Staff
TOWN MEETING n District 3 Supervisor Craig Hitt asks county residents to voice their concerns at a town meeting he held Thursday night at the Suqualena Volunteer Fire Department. Photo by Sheila Blackmon/The Meridian Star
By Sheila Blackmon/The Meridian Star
March 30, 2001
SUQUALENA Everything from litter to green boxes to animal control was discussed Thursday night during a public meeting at the Suqualena Volunteer Fire Department.
District 3 Supervisor Craig Hitt said he is pleased with the public turnout.
Hitt said he had expected questions about animal control and roads, but hoped residents would address additional topics. They did.
The meeting began with a discussion of green boxes. Hitt asked community members to suggest better locations for the boxes than main highways and thoroughfares.
That statement led to discussions about litter control and whether green boxes are the best solution.
Hitt said people must have time "to finish their Subway sandwiches" on Collinsville Road from Highway 19 to 494, because the area is scattered with litter. Residents on Okatibbee Dam Road said they find beer cans in their front yards.
Hitt said he would love to see Lauderdale County go to door-to-door garbage pick-up, but not if means residents have to build "those chicken coops" to hold garbage containers at the end of their driveways.
Residents were split on the topic. Some said they preferred dumping garbage at their own convenience to scheduled pick-up times that might be missed. Others said green boxes lead to more litter and less animal control.
A Pine Springs Road resident asked Hitt if supervisors were ever going to push state legislators to pass a bill allowing deputies to use radar as a speed deterrent.
Hitt reported that that bill is dead. The resident said supervisors sent a "request" to legislators but not a "strong letter" about radar use.
Hitt said he considered radar a good tool for making people more conscious of speed. A Naval Air Station Meridian resident said many of those against radar felt it would be used as a "revenue gatherer" by county government.
One resident asked Hitt's opinion on growth in District 3, using a new subdivision with space for 130 homes as an example.
He said supervisors have no control over building new schools, but it was a good example.
Residents asked about widening roads, overlaying rutted and pot-hole ridden pavement and clearing clogged culverts before "mosquito weather" sets in.
They also talked about safety issues. Some said supervisors should take care of people before they take care of animals and suggested hiring more deputies before dressing up a "horse barn." Those committed to animal control said animal control is part of human safety.
Sheila Blackmon is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at sblackmon@themeridianstar.com.