Out-of-towners spoiled Port Clinton cleanup day

PORT CLINTON – This past weekend's annual clean-up for the city of Port Clinton and its beach were a huge success. Beautiful temperatures, a large amount of volunteers and a can-do attitude helped get the city get back on track after another brutal northwest Ohio winter.

"We had a wonderful clean-up for the city and the beach," Mayor Vince Leone.

However, no event goes without a few hiccups.

On Monday, Leone said the office had been hearing complaints of the event closing down earlier than its original 5 p.m. deadline.

But the problem wasn't the lack of volunteers, it was the amount of trash being crammed in to the dumpsters at Water Works Park on Saturday, he said.

By mid-afternoon, the dumpsters on the site were overfilled and residents were still lining up to dump unwanted furniture and appliances. They had filled 11 forty-foot-long dumpsters, almost double what they normally do, Safety Service Director Tracy Colston said.

Republic Services, who provided the dumpsters free-of-charge through a contract with the city, had also stopped running for the day. Scrappers even helped cut down on the amount of debris being received, taking any metal they could get as it was dropped off.

Colston said he had never seen so many cars and trucks lined up, which included people dropping off items after dark, after the cutoff.

Another piece to the puzzle was unexpected visitors. City Hall began hearing that people from outside the city limits were coming into town to dump their debris at the bins.

"We heard they were coming across the Edison bridge to dump their trash here," Leone said. "That's not what this was for."

The out-of-towners were ruining it for those in the city whom the contract with Republic Services was set up for, Mayor Leone said.

"We have to change things, we're going to make sure those within the city limits can have this service," he said.

In the future, the city will be requiring a form of identification, such as a water bill or a state-issued ID, in order to dump their unwanted items off.

Colston and Leone said overfilled dumpsters or people from outside the city limits had not been an issue. They think Saturday's beautiful weather played a role, as well as word-of-mouth.

"We wanted to provide this service to our city residents," Leone said. "If not, then residents have to call Republic to haul any oversized items away, and that comes with a charge. This was set up to be free. We want it to remain free."

It's all a part of a learning curve, the mayor said. He said he apologized for residents frustrations and said the city will ensure future events are monitored closely to prevent this from repeating.

"We're willing to admit we made a mistake," Leone said. "But we know what to do from here on out."

The city hosts two clean-up events a year, one in the spring and one in the fall.

jdenton@gannett.com

419-734-7506

Twitter: @jessicadentonNH