It’s in the bag: Students’ recycle plan OK’d
Post Independent Staff
GLENWOOD SPRINGS – City officials here have reduced parking so they could reuse the spaces for a recycling center.
On Thursday, for the second time in six months, a proposal to build a regional recycling drop-off center was put before City Council. This time, thanks in part to a presentation by students from Glenwood Springs High School’s Impact Club, the center was approved.
“This seems to be a relatively good location with minimal impact,” said City Councilman Dan Richardson.
The recycling center will be located in the parking lot located just west of City Hall, on 8th Street and the new Defiance Avenue. It will accept office paper and magazines, cans and bottles, newspapers and cardboard.
Impact Club members Michael Hoban, Janeth Niebla, Eric Whiting and Molly Ackerman used a Power Point presentation to explain that a recycling center would make it easier to run their school recycling program.
They also suggested it could serve as a place for kids going through teen court to perform community service sentences. The students said they would help design the center and make signs.
Each of the council members agreed that building a recycling center is a good idea, and said it’s a sufficient place to build the center.
But with two-hour parking restrictions pending on downtown streets, Councilman Larry Emery suggested approving the center, but delaying construction for 60 days, until the new parking regulations start.
Emery said council might have to change the lot from two-hour parking to all-day parking. And if it fills up, the parking spaces lost to the recycling center could become very valuable.
A rendering of the center shows it will take up six parking spaces. It’s estimated to cost $40,000, funded by revenues from the city’s South Canyon Landfill.
Councilman Don Gillespie seemed to agree with Emery’s suggestion.
“We’re getting ready to put parking restrictions on,” Gillespie said. “That’s the only thing I have reservations about.”
But other council members suggested that if two-hour restrictions are lifted at the gravel parking lot, it would automatically fill up, leaving the newly built parking lot at the old Municipal Operations Center site on 7th Street emptier than it already is.
“We have a really nice parking lot at the old MOC,” Councilman Rick Davis said. “We really should concentrate on the parking we have. I don’t see any reason to hold this up because of a few spaces.”
Emery’s motion to delay the center’s construction was defeated 6-1.
The next motion to approving the recycling center at the parking lot passed 7-0. Gillespie and Emery said it would have been hard to vote against the kids.
“I think it was an intelligent decision,” said Anne Swanson, a Glenwood Springs High School math teacher and sponsor of the Impact Club. “I think they’re looking into the future. It’s wonderful that they’re able to support us like that.”
Contact Greg Masse: 945-8515, ext. 511
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.
