Landfill to be closed most Saturdays starting in June

The Franklin County Commission approved new hours of Saturday operation for the Franklin County Landfill at the commission's April 18^th meeting.

Commissioners followed the recommendation of Franklin County Solid Waste Officer Gene Ward to close the landfill on Saturdays with the exception of the first Saturday of the month.

Beginning in June 2022, the landfill will be open the first Saturday of the month, from 7 a.m.-12 p.m, and closed on the remaining Saturdays.

Ward said the reason for the Saturday closings results from inspections by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management that are taking place early on Monday mornings. Those inspections are to make sure landfills do not have uncovered garbage.

When garbage is received on Saturdays, it can remain uncovered until Monday so there was concern that ADEM inspectors would find Franklin County in violation.

Employees will remain after the landfill closes the first Saturday of each month to cover all garbage received that day, Ward said.

Franklin County Probate Judge Barry Moore said he wanted to delay the Saturday closings until June so that residents would have sufficient advance notice of the new schedule.

In other agenda items, the commission:

--authorized Moore to activate the state bid Debris Removal and Monitoring contract when necessary during or after a natural disaster and declaration of Franklin County as a disaster area.

--authorized Franklin County Emergency Management Agency Director Mary Hallman-Glass to apply for and sign grant applications for a $12,000 Thermal Imaging Camera and a $4,000 Grain Bin Rescue Grant.

--authorized up to $40,000 to be spent to replace the truck driven by the Franklin County Engineer.

--approved the hiring of Joshua Wigginton as a permanent Corrections Officer/Dispatcher and Rikki Tharpe and Wyatt Burnett as temporary Corrections Officers/Dispatchers with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.

--approved the hiring of Chris Hill as a permanent Deputy with the FCSO.

--approved the resignation of Carson Benson, Dustin Wiley and Holly Salisbury as Corrections Officers/Dispatchers and agreed to advertise for the same.

--accepted the high bid of $6,000 on a 2014 Chevrolet Caprice previously declared surplus property to Zachary Allen.

--approved the hiring of Jeremy McCarley as a part-time Heavy Equipment Operator in the Solid Waste Department.

--approved a donation of $5,000 to Place of Grace to be used for construction of a permanent facility in Hackleburg.

--heard an update from Assistant County Engineer Jason Baggett about repairs to a sinkhole on Walnut Gate Road. The sinkhole has been repaired and filled with 10 yards flowable fill and riprap. Asphalt work was scheduled Tuesday and the road should reopen.

--heard an update from Baggett about repairs to washout spots on Railsplitter Road, and a bridge washout on Highway 34 near Orange Church.

--authorized Moore and Commissioner Chris Wallace to execute documents if necessary to change the polling place for the Newburg precinct from Macedonia Baptist Church. The church is no longer meeting and power has been cut off. There will be power reconnected and the church will be used for the May 24, 2022, primary election, but its future use after that date is uncertain.

--approved resolutions honoring the Russellville High School Scholars Bowl team for winning the 2022 5A Alabama Scholastic Challenge and the Belgreen High School Scholars Bowl team for winning the 2022 1A Alabama Scholastic Challenge.