For immediate release
June 29, 2016, (Sierraville, Calif.) – A majority of the residents in Sierraville participated in the Sierra County sponsored Sierraville Community Clean Up Day on Sat., June 25.
“The turnout for this event exceeded all of our expectations," said event organizer Katie Shaffer. "It came together through a collaborative effort involving the Sierra County Board of Supervisors, County staff, local heavy equipment operators, and neighbors helping neighbors."
“We were fortunate to have Supervisor Paul Roen carry our plea to the Board to hold a Sierraville Clean-up day modeled after similar events held in Loyalton and Sierra Brooks," said Rick Maddalena, who served as one of the event committee members and volunteer “trash men.” "Roen gained support from the Board to waive solid waste fees for this day only. He also gained support from Ricky Ross and Terry the Trashman of Intermountain Disposal to provide the needed dumpsters.”
According to Dennis Marsh with the Sierra County Department of Public Works, 270 yards of old furniture, appliances, mattresses, tires, green waste, wood products and metal was collected.
Residents were encouraged to place unwanted material at the end of their driveways. Both privately-owned and Sierra County equipment operators kept busy all day long on Saturday shuttling the “curbside” materials to a central location where they were placed in dumpsters for transportation to Loyalton. No hazardous waste, electronics or “wet waste” was permitted.
A team of volunteers, working with a private backhoe owned and operated by Sierraville fire chief Dan Wentling, tackled one project in particular, spending much of the day completing the demolition of a partially collapsed garage adjacent to the former “Sid’s Place” located near the Highway 89/Highway 49 intersection. Another group helped the property owners clear a substantial amount of waste from the back yard, and a fence is currently being erected to help contain the family’s dogs.
“The property owners appreciated the support extended to them for not only this effort but a previous effort where volunteers removed asbestos siding from the collapsing garage. That hazardous material was transported to Lockwood Nevada with a permit issued for the restricted waste by a neighbor who agreed to transport the material in a family owned trailer,” said local resident and participant Tom Archer.
Unique to this event was the direct participation by Sierra County Public Works and Planning director Tim Beals and County supervisor Paul Roen. Roen provided and operated one of the private backhoes that transported material to the collection spot. Beals helped by hand loading both private and county equipment and by answering questions from a number of residents and the general public traveling through town. Beals also knocked on doors suggesting that residents take advantage of the effort.
The Treasure Mountain 4-H Club, led by coordinator Sheri Roen with members Brianna and Aubree Roen and Ruth McCormack, also joined in the effort, clearing debris from an intermittent stream that flows away from downtown along “North Lincoln Street”—an area that catches windblown waste.
“We owe our appreciation to Dennis Marsh and Jay Huebert for giving us their Saturday to coordinate the day and operate the Sierra County equipment; to Katie Shaffer and Shelly Wright for stirring the fire that got this effort going; and Tim Beals who knows the voodoo about how to pave the way for an event like this,” said Maddalena. “Special thanks also go out to the volunteers who used their own equipment to shuttle waste who have not been previously acknowledged: John Peterson, Lee Wright, and Paul Eggers, Brendan McCormack who provided use of his property for sorting and loading, Los Dos Hermanos for providing lunch to a number of the volunteers, and to the “trash people:” Cal and Karen Linde, Janice and Paul Eggers, Jeff Hartley, John Shaffer, Brendan McCormack, Carol Dobbis and Tom Archer who sorted and loaded heaps and heaps of items and material.”
Sierraville Community Clean Up Day was a collaborative effort between the County of Sierra, Intermountain Disposal, Treasure Mountain 4-H Club, Sierra County Fire Protection District and Sierraville.org.