The Centralia City Council Monday night approved a rebate to city residents on their next utility bill for not receiving yard waste pickup in July and August.
Acting City Manager Derrick Sherman says Republic Services is refunding $17,500 to the city for the missed service.
“We got Republic to give us a credit for the citizens who paid for yard waste. It is $3.39 is what they would pay for yard waste. They will have that credited to their account for the months of July and August. They have a deadline in the amendment if they do not resume the yard waste services by September first we can begin figuring out another solution. They have told us they will have yard waste services back up by September 1st, so we shall see.”
The City Council also changed their burn calendar to allow landscape waste burning on Saturday and Sunday, August 14th and 15th instead of Balloon Fest weekend. The ordinance will be changed to prevent a burn weekend from being scheduled on Balloon Fest weekends in the future.
Centralia Clean and Green is planning a litter pickup for six next Tuesday night. Coordinator Bev Virobek says anyone who wants to join in should meet at the city hall parking lot. They will concentration on the route the Balloonists will follow from the Best Western to Foundation Park.
Sherman also told the council they will need to call an emergency meeting in the near future to deal with improvements to its rail spur in the Centralia Industrial Park.
“Last Tuesday we had a train derail on the city-owned line over by Big Three and Hawkins. We had repaired the southern part of this line but the northern part we were not been informed was in need of repair. That is where the derailment happened. We are going to be repairing that, but we don’t have an estimate yet so we more than likely need to have a special meeting this week or next week whenever we have the estimate.”
Sherman says the derailment involved one locomotive jumping the track. Temporary repairs have allowed the rail spur to remain open.
