The City of Atlantic’s Yard Waste site hours will be changing, beginning this Saturday. City Administrator John Lund says the site will be open on Tuesday’s and Thursdays, from Noon until 8-p.m., Saturday’s, from 9am-5pm, and Sunday’s, from 1-until 5-pm. Citizens may bring their grass clippings, leaves and branches and garden plants or similar items, to the site.
Lund says residents should not leave their yard waste bags at the site once they dump their biodegradable refuse. The site, which is currently monitored by someone on location, will no longer be manned in the near future. Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones reported cameras will be installed soon to keep track of who enters the site and what is dumped there.
Jones says there will be two cameras. One to take a picture of vehicle license plates, another positioned to view activity in the dumping area. That way, if someone leaves illegal materials at the site, police can match up the vehicle’s license plate with the registered owner. The site will be open seven days per week from dawn to dusk, once the cameras are in place and operational.
Jones said regardless of who is driving a vehicle entering the yard waste site, if there is illegal dumping, the owner of the vehicle will be cited. The cameras will cost $9,185, plus $1,200 for the cellular data. Jones says the cost will be paid for in savings from wages from having the site be manned, and in repairs needed to the trailer currently on-site for the person who watches over it. It’s not clear when the cameras will be operational, but Police Chief Steve Green said with the Council’s blessing, he will order them and get them installed as soon as possible.