Town clean up in full swing

Mayor Mike Chimenti recently proclaimed May 13-25 as town Spring Clean-Up. All residents and business owners are encouraged to clean their property in preparation for the upcoming summer season.

The town is offering various resources to assist with the success. There will be four construction 20-foot yard dumpsters located at the 14th Street tennis courts, at Ninth and Big Horn, at 8th and Amoretti, and in the 200 block of Second Street.

Saturday, May 18, will be Free Dump Day from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the county landfill for all town and county residents, to encourage anyone who has the ability to dispose on their own. County residents are encouraged to use the free dump day.

Landfill rules still apply. The following items will not be accepted at the landfill and should not be put in dumpsters: concrete, gravel, dirt, construction debris generated by contractors or hazardous waste such as waste oil, solvents and batteries. Tires and appliances with Freon should not be placed in dumpsters, and normal charges will still apply for such items that are delivered to the landfill.

For disposal of paint cans that still contain liquid, use sand or dirt to absorb and dry the liquid then place sealed cans in bags for disposal. A metals disposal area is designated near the Town Shop. All private citizens and contractors can use this area in lieu of hauling appliances or miscellaneous metal debris to dumpsters or the landfill.

Any elderly or impaired town residents who need assistance getting their disposed items to the dumpsters provided during Town Clean-Up can use the community officer for scheduling help by calling 864-3114 and asking for Ame Longwell.

Longwell will be hanging yellow advisements on targeted addresses as the town encourages clean up compliances. Lack of participation could result in fines associated with town codes.

Under Article VIII, Section 11-801 of the Town Code, a nuisance is defined as “the doing of or failure to do something that injuriously affects the safety, health or morals of the public or works some substantial annoyance, inconvenience or injury to the public or such part of the public as necessarily comes in contact with it in the exercise of a public or common right. A ‘nuisance’ is the maintenance by any person of any condition or use of real property in such manner as to unreasonably interfere with the use and enjoyment of the property of another, or which is detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the Town or is detrimental to the property of others, or which causes or tends to degrade or cause substantial diminution in the value of other property in the neighborhood in which such nuisance is maintained.”

The code goes on to define nuisances as keeping materials that could damage by fire any property or structure within the town, accumulating trash in such a manner as to harbor animals that may transmit disease, keeping of abandoned or discarded appliances, discharge of any foul or noxious liquid or such substances, keeping or discharge of stale or putrid fat, grease, garbage, meat or excrement, keeping old machinery that is no longer safely usable, keeping of two or more junked vehicles longer than 30 days, or keeping or maintaining a premises in a manner that causes substantial diminution in the value of a property and others in the vicinity.

Further, the code notes that weeds, open pits and abandoned vehicles as nuisances , and those permitting the continuance of a nuisance may be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and fined $750.