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South Boston Town Council Monday night heard a plea from Wayne Stevens
for trash collection for the 110 mobile home residents located in
Westside Mobile Park in the Sinai community. Halifax attorney George
Bagwell, representing Stevens, who owns Westside Mobile Home Park, told
South Boston Council members that commerical trash pick-up will add an
additional $15 per month to residents' bills. "They can hardly afford
to pay their rent now," said a spokesman with the company.
Linda Crutchfield, who manages the property for Stevens, said she has a
30 day contract with a commercial firm to pick-up the trash which is
costing about $1650 per month.
Bagwell told Council that Halifax County had always collected the solid
waste from a green box which was centrally located in the mobile home
park without charge. When the property was annexed by South Boston,
they, too, had collected the waste without charge for the first years,
but more recently Stevens had paid the annual "green box fee" charged
by the Town. Bagwell said Stevens had been assured when the Town
annexed the property that police protection and trash collection
services would continue.
While not accusing Council of discrimination, Bagwell said the end
result was discrimination against people who were least able to pay and
who were minorities. He explained that no white people lived in the
park, only blacks and a few Mexicans.
Town Manager Ted Daniel explained that the Town no longer is in the
business of picking up commercial trash or that of green boxes. "We no
longer have the front end loader to empty the green boxes, nor the
equipment needed to do so," he said. Council members agreed that they
had received complaints from numerous commercial customers, complaining
about the Town's policy of not serving the green boxes. "We had no
choice with our landfill closed," said Councilman Coleman Speece.
Stevens then asked about the possibility of having single trash cans
placed at a central location on a main street in the park serviced, but
Council thought that plan was not feasible, they said.
In other business Daniel reported to Council on action by the Halifax
County Board of Supervisors which earlier this month approved the
donation of the Washington-Coleman Elementary School property back to
the Town of South Boston. Daniel said he wants to develop a master plan
for the property and has asked for assistance from Dewberry and Davis
in drawing up such a plan. He asked, and Council approved, having the
consultants meet with them at their next work session to discuss the
possibilities for use of the property.
Following an earlier public hearing on a request for a special use
permit which would allow Carolyn and William Penick to operate a bed
and breakfast at 2020 Jeffress Boulevard, Council gave its unanimous
approval. The permit, however, carries one condition, that being that
the permit is non-transferrable and applies only to the Penicks. Should
the property change hands it will revert to the original R-2 zone with
no special use permit.
Council also voted uanaimously to sell Mr. Leon Brade the 20 foot by 50
foot portion on an unopened alley which lies behind his property for
the sum of $980. The remainder of the alley will be transferred to
adjacent property owners evenly at no cost. Mr. Brade has agreed to pay
the legal cost for having deeds prepared for the remaining property
owners, as well as for the cost of a survey of the alley lot.
Council also re-appointed Fields Thomas and Harriet Claiborne to four
year terms on the Planning Commission and two year terms on the
Improvement Council for Charles Phillips and Vinnie Sarnataro.
Council also approved the same council meeting schedule for the coming
year, meeting on the second Monday night of each month, and on the
third Monday night ever other month for joint sessions with the towns
and county and the last Monday night of the month for Council work
sessions.
In response to a question put forth by Councilman Coleman Speece about
having South Boston residents continue to pay their water and sewer
bills in town, rather than going to Halifax or mailing them to the
Public Service Authority, Council concluded that they will have nothing
to do with the services come March 1, and they felt residents should
deal directly with the Authority in case they might have questions.
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