Aledo to hold modified fall cleanup
Due to citizen requests, the city is offering a modified cleanup Nov. 1 - Nov. 8 at the city garage. The city of Aledo only put one city cleanup in its 2009 budget, the one held in the spring.
The city will not be going to individual residences, but instead will bring two 30-cubic-yard dumpsters to the city garage, located at 309 - 311 East Main Street. Citizens are welcome to bring items to the dumpster for removal. There will be no pickup of white goods.
During the committee of the whole meeting on Oct 19, Public Works Director Steve Moller told the council the cost is $305 per dumpster and the city would start out with two. A consensus of the council agreed to give this a try.
Bill Coutant, who lives at 803 6th St., asked the council about progress on sewer and storm water drainage on the NW side of Aledo. "The city has studied the storm water and sewer for about a year," Coutant said.
A year ago Coutant asked the city do do something about overflowing culverts on the northwest side of Aledo.
Moller said that Missman & Stanley (city engineers) have prepared a couple plans which haven't been brought before the council yet.
"We have an aging infrastructure out there," Moller said. He said some of the city's biggest water users were on that side of the city, referring to the Mercer County Hospital and Mercer County Nursing Home.
He said the city did a study (cost $38,000) years ago on how to take care of the storm water situation, but nothing proceeded from that.
"We're looking at building a retainage system," said Moller. He added that "the storm water doesn't seem to be the problem."
He said that a lot of homes in that part of town have gravity drains that are being pumped to the city's sewer system. There are also a number of homes with sump pumps pulling basement water into the sewer system, instead of out onto their lawns for drainage.
"All this is being put into an eight-inch line," Moller said.
Alderman Dick Hunter said the city did a survey of the whole town about eight to 10 years ago.
Moller said he did find one blockage, which was immediately replaced. He said that there was some galvanized culvert pipe one block from Coutant's place, found in the city sewerage system.
He said that as soon as he gets the Missman & Stanley report he will make sure Coutant is advised.
"This is not the only part of town that has drainage problems," said Moller.
Several aldermen talked about the "seepage into the sewage system," making mention of the fact that there is an ordinance on the books already prohibiting pumping storm water into the sewage system.
"What happens if we start enforcing that ordinance?" asked Rich Maynard.
Moller suggested offering an amnesty program, to allow homeowners who are violating the ordinance time to fix the situation, without any consequence.
"If it's something that's on the books, it needs to be looked into," said Coutant.
The council also:
• Learned that the city's online utility bill payment option is up and running at the city's web address: www.aledoil.org. The city accepts debit or credit cards for payment.
• Learned that wi-fi has been established over a 10-block radius of downtown Aledo. Aledo Main Street is hosting Moonlight Madness on Oct. 29 for downtown trick or treaters and is inviting everyone to bring portable computers to the downtown area to try out wi-fi and sign up for Aledo Main Street's Facebook page.
• Learned the Aledo Exchange Club is willing to go around the city and survey the street signs on the corners, looking for faded signs. They are asking the city to budget for vinyl replacement numbers, with the Exchange Club offering to do the work. The city is holding several budget workshops this month.
• Learned that a new camera was installed at the yard waste site, with new lights being installed there within the next couple of weeks.