Weeds are marring Centerfield streets

 

By Yvonne Folkersen

Staff writer

03-26-2020

 

CENTERFIELD—Citizens concerned with weeds becoming overgrown along city streets and have asked Centerfield City to do something about it.

“We just want to know what we can do as a community to step up to save our streets,” JoLynn Chappel told the Centerfield City Council last Wednesday March 18.

“You’re absolutely right, we had a weed problem last year,” Centerfield City Mayor Tom Sorensen said.

Chappel brought up the intersection next to the Tip Top thrift store as an example.

“We need to do whatever we need to do…,” Chappel said. Chappel has been watching the problem for 4-5 years and has even volunteered to drive a mower for the city.

The city is hesitant to spray Roundup or 2-4-D on the sides of the roads along with mowing the roadsides with a tractor. While workers were spraying the roadsides for mosquitoes last year, they accidentally killed a resident’s bees and shrubs.

”Some places I farm I see tremendous damage from government people spraying our roads,” Councilman David Beck said.

“You’re going to have a nightmare of people upset about drifts onto their property,” the mayor added.

One option is “if you want your ground sprayed we can spray it…” Beck said. “But you’re going to have to sign a waiver.”

The council also discussed reserving the Old Rock Church and COVID-19 and chose to follow the CDC guidelines and only allow 10 people on city property at a time, although at one point, Mayor Sorensen suggested shutting the facility down.

Tammy Winegar, the city treasurer, announced she would be resigning in a few months to work full-time for the Gunnison Valley Police Department. “It’s hard to leave,” she said.

Mayor Sorensen said he had spent a few days in the city building to evaluate how many hours per week the city should remain open.

“It’s a waste of time to have somebody here all day,” he said.

The mayor said he had looked at other nearby towns, their populations and their city government hours. He found about half stayed open part of the day and half all day.

“I’m trying to be as efficient as we can and look at different avenues” to serve residents,” he said.

The council discussed having a drop box where residents could drop payments and cutting hours to 10 a.m.-2 p.m.