Send e-mail to letters@gainesvilletimes.com (no attached files, please, which can contain viruses); fax to 770-532-0457; or mail to The Times, P.O. Box 838, Gainesville, GA 30503. Include full name, hometown and phone number for confirmation. They should be limited to one topic on issues of public interest and may be edited for content and length (limit of 500 words). Letters originating from other sources or those involving personal, business or legal disputes, poetry, expressions of faith or memorial tributes may be rejected. You may be limited to one letter per month, two on a single topic. Submitted items may be published in print, electronic or other forms. Letters, columns and cartoons express the opinions of the authors and not of The Times editorial board.
To find a form to send a letter, click here
The City Council's curbside trash pickup proposal hopefully will not pass and hopefully never will. Can any of us residents proudly picture what our beautiful, unique community could become with those huge 96-gallon barrels and a 65-gallon bin next to it crowding our city streets, neighborhoods, driveways, etc.? Not a pretty picture.
The Chamber of Commerce and people of Gainesville have successfully strived to make our town a special place for people to want to move to, especially those who have retired. We've all witnessed how our town has become a lovely retirement community, and one of the reasons is its enjoyable, peaceful beauty with the many comforts provided here.
Of significant importance to them is the backyard trash pickup. Something until now, I guess I'd always taken for granted. But now that we've learned we could lose it, it's become an appreciated service to me, too, and to the many concerned people I've come in contact with during the past weeks.
I can't emphasize enough the serious problems the proposal could present for many elderly folks, young and not-so-young folks with challenging driveways and parents with young children. They will have to juggle and safely balance their strategy for getting the two loaded, and then empty, containers to and from their street, problems to be encountered by any age person with health or handicap issues. The "band-aid" of a doctor's written medical exemption will not be the solution for everyone.
After attending the council meeting March 16, I had several conversations with people in Georgia and out-of-state who have the service that is proposed and they hate it, absolutely cannot stand it. The service has been anything but satisfactory for them. As a matter of fact, I have not heard anyone, both those who have it and those who don't, who wanted or want this service.
Did the man who directed this proposal and his staff poll any community's residents for their input before it became an irreversible done deal for those residents or poll the people after such a plan was put in place? I should think that since we are the taxpayers for such services, that this would have been an appropriate and considerate step to have taken.
I am still not completely understanding why once-a-week backyard pickup is not being considered. After scaring everyone half to death that they could lose this type of collection, I am hoping they can all attend en masse the 5:30 p.m. Tuesday meeting at the Georgia Mountains Center to show their opposition to the Council's proposal.
The people of Gainesville have faithfully entrusted the City Council members as our chosen leaders to do what is right for its residents and their town, which God has so graciously blessed us with and the Gainesville we love so much.
Alice Ann Mundy
Gainesville