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Miami County Recycling ‘Clean-up week’ underway
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Peru Library board votes unanimously to accept gift of statue from City of Peru By Michelle Boswell mboswell@thepaperofmiami.com
Jacob Centers, Peru, tosses material into a recycling bin on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Miami County Recycling District. The District is currently offering ‘Clean-up Week’ for Miami County residents. Photo by Michelle Boswell
By Michelle Boswell mboswell@thepaperofmiami.com The Miami County Recycling District’s ‘Clean-up Week’ is well underway and according to Samantha St. John, Director of the Miami County Recycling District, it is going very well. Clean-up week began Saturday, Sept. 26, and will run through Saturday, Oct. 3. The original clean-up week was supposed to take place in early June but had to be cancelled because of COVID-19. “Requests for proposals for a contracting company to handle all the heavy and bulk trash items were sent out just prior to Governor Holcomb putting his stay at home orders in place for the state. As a result, the District received no proposals. The difficult decision to postpone the event was made,” St. John said. Now that the first days of clean-up week are under her belt, St. John said things were running smoothly. “I thought the weekend went very well. We had some new helpers and some returning helpers who worked hard and caught on quickly to their various stations. Everything went smoothly. We had plenty of roll-off containers. People waiting in line were patient. The staff was able to keep everyone moving through the drop off areas,” St. John explained.
September 30, 2020
Although there were some complaints about the original cancelation, most people understood the situation was out of St. John’s control. “The overall response was great! People were happy that we were still able to have the event, in spite of all of the roadblocks and hurdles that the COVID pandemic put in the way. We were greeted with several thank-you’s,” she said. Clean-up days provide residents the opportunity to rid themselves of items they have around the home, but many do not realize what kind of services are offered year-round. “Some people don’t realize that we take these items all year long. TVs, electronics, chemicals, paint, and fluorescent bulbs can be dropped off every day the Recycling District is open. Tire Vouchers can be picked up at the District every day we are open. There are no “special days” anymore. The District is able to provide the convenience of everyday drop off due to having a permanent building. We even take most of the items being brought in during cleanup week all year long. The only difference is there is a small charge for things that are not able to be recycled any time other than cleanup week,” St. John explained. Clean-up week is still on-going and those who are residents of Miami County are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Dates and times still See Clean, Page 2
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It all came down to a final vote by the Peru Public Library Board as to whether a statue would be placed on library property. The vote was unanimous and in favor of placing it on library grounds. A nearly two-hour meeting that became tense several times, was attended by all members of the Peru City Council and several citizens. Nearly 30 people filled the room, and many expressed their thoughts on why the statue should be placed at the library. There were a couple of citizens who aired their grievances as to how the situation was handled by some members of the library board. Everyone who wanted to address the board was given two minutes to do so. The statue which is to be of Marie Edwards as a 12 year-old girl standing next to her bicycle, was to be gifted to the library board through a grant that was obtained by ReDiscover Downtown Peru, Miami County Worth Remembering, the Daughters of the American Revolution and Aces PLUS. The announcement naming the grant recipients was made by Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. The amount awarded was $35,000 which was going to be used to design and make the statue. Two other cities, Angola, and Michigan City received a grant as well. The life-size statue which has not been made or even designed yet became a point of contention at the August board meeting. When the board voted, three members voted to accept the gift of the statue, three voted against it and one abstained because she wrote the grant. Although no reason was given at the August board meeting as to why three voted against the gift of the statue, those reasons were revealed at the end of the September meeting. Bryan Maggart, Melissa Duckwall and Leslie Murphy said they were concerned about the cost of upkeep and insurance for the statue. When the board voted in August and it did not pass, the Peru City Council was approached at their next meeting to accept the gift. Mayor Miles Hewitt did not want to override the library board but was interested in having the two boards work together. A letter from the City Council to the library board, which was read at the September library meeting said the city will accept the gift of the grant and would be See Library, Page 2
Vol. 1, No. 34