City ‘dump’ site to get face lift

As reported last week, the City of Abbeville was investigating ways to rid a staging area near the railroad tracks at John Hardy Drive and Frank’s Alley. New developments may speed up the process to clean it up.

City Attorney Ike Funderburk sent a letter to the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, who owns the property being used by the city, requesting either permission to lease or that the company donate the site to the City of Abbeville. A response from Southern resulted in, according to Funderburk, the option to lease at a nominal rate.

The city intends to fence the property to store assorted material, asphalt, concrete, agricultural debris and other assorted items that aid the city for public works projects.

The purpose of the fence is to keep people from using the grounds as a dump site. It is not yet been determined what the cost will be to lease the property.

At the Vermilion Parish Police Jury Public Works Committee Meeting, Abbeville Public Works Director Clay Menard requested that the jury lend the city a trailer to store the items that will eventually be taken to the Vermilion Parish Solid Waste facility.

The trailer will not be used for public dumping.

Currently city workers have been picking up trees and branches that line the streets as homeowners clean out yards. It is an effort to relieve some of the work of the parish solid waste facility. Now, a large amount has been stock-piled at the staging area with no way to transport it.

According to Ricky LeBlanc, Supervisor of Solid Waste, the agricultural debris will be chipped by the same company that contracted to chip and mulch such debris at the parish facility.

“He just finished with us and he will move to the city site next,” LeBlanc said.

Although the city picked up the debris, they won’t have to pick up the bill. The mulching will occur at the cost of the parish and the mulched materials will be transported to solid waste.