Marion clears air by restricting access to dump

By DAN KEGLEY/Staff

There are fewer trucks on Watermill Road these days bearing brush, et cetera, en route to the burn pile out by Marion’s water treatment plant. Blame the et cetera and those who hauled it in for the town’s recent formal closure of the dump to use by private citizens.
Construction and demolition debris, some of which may have been painted or composed entirely of materials that can be toxic when burned, was dumped, apparently by private citizens, along with their tree trimmings and the brush deposited there by town crews and contractors.
In May, Phillip Martin took before Marion’s town council a piece of painted lumber he said he retrieved from the pile. Martin was concerned that the paint could contain lead that could be released in the air by incineration.
His show-and-tell surprised town officials, including engineer Cecil Hicks who said that to his knowledge, only brush was taken by town crews to the pile where it is periodically burned.
The dump’s management has gone through phases over the years – open access, then access only by prior permission, according to Town Manager John Clark.
In recent times, though, the dump was not open to the public. Both Mayor David Helms and council member Ken Heath said town policy does not allow private citizens to dump brush on the site, and certainly not building materials.
A few went anyway, according to Martin, who said he observed what he thought were private people using the dump.
“I see trailers the town would not be proud of,” he said, as well as trucks on Saturdays when town employees are not working.
Now, a new lock secures the gate, keeping out private citizens altogether. Only town employees have access.
Contractors cutting trees and brush for the town must be accompanied by town employees when taking that material to the burn pile.