Survey shows community support for spring/fall cleanups

Community members like their spring and fall cleanups, a survey reveals, and expressing that may help pay for the cleanups.

The cleanups involve free dumping of yard waste at the Delano Regional Transfer Station for residents of Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and Elmer City, and sometimes curbside pickup conducted by local cities.

Last week The Star reported that the Regional Board of Mayors was applying for a roughly $30,000 air quality grant from the Department of Ecology to pay for spring and fall cleanups in 2022, and a spring cleanup in 2023, when it will be time to apply for another grant. 

Electric City Mayor Diane Kohout told The Star that data showing community support would help the RBOM receive the grant, so The Star conducted a survey asking how people felt.

Out of 32 respondents, 28 said that they had taken advantage of past spring and fall cleanups, and that they were very likely to participate in future cleanups.

Two respondents said they were somewhat likely to participate, and two others were somewhat unlikely to participate.

Out of the 32 respondents, there are 11 from Electric City, 11 from Coulee Dam, 10 from Grand Coulee, and no respondents from Elmer City.

“We appreciate the spring and fall clean-ups and always use these days as opportunities to dispose of tree branches and other vegetation that would otherwise need to be burned,” one respondent said.

The reason the grant that pays for the cleanups is an air quality grant is because it helps reduce burning of vegetation.

“They are wonderful and are very helpful in keeping our properties cleaned up,” one respondent said about the cleanups.

“As an 80+ single person, the Spring and Fall Cleanups are extremely important to me and my health!!!,” another wrote.

Other comments expressed similar support. 

One commenter expressed that they would rather see the yard waste composted rather than taken to the dump.

A few comments stressed the importance of the curbside pickup option, with one respondent saying, “​​Curbside pick up is the best. Not everyone has the means to haul to the dump.” Another person expressed wanting a larger window of time for the event beyond the standard week.

Kohout said the application for the grant is due before Nov. 1, and that the RBOM would likely find out if they would receive the grant in late 2021 or early 2022.