WOODLANDS COUNTY - Woodlands County councillors decided against increasing security at its waste/recycling transfer stations during a short debate at the Feb. 28 council meeting in Whitecourt.
At the Jan. 6 meeting, councillors asked administration to research the costs involved in installing security cameras at each of the municipality's transfer stations to help dissuade and prosecute would-be criminals from damaging the sites as they attempt to steal or vandal from the "Take It or Leave It" area.
"Broken gates, chains and locks cut or torn off repeatedly and cleanup of the illegal dumping are becoming almost a weekly, regular occurrence at all the transfer sites," airport and environmental services manager Steve Hollett said.
However, he said at the Feb. 28 meeting he recommended against the installation of the cameras, citing not only the costs but their effectiveness.
Later in the meeting, councillors unanimously accepted administration's recommendation. It is worth noting that councillors John Burrows and Bruce Prestidge were absent.
Hollett said he discussed the situation with the municipality's security contractor, and they believe they would need between three and four cameras at each site at a combined cost of about $5,000, including installation. This does not include the approximate $1,500 to install Internet for the sites and an additional $140 monthly fee for each site.
"Cameras are really good at seeing what is happening at a site, but their quality is not good enough for prosecution," he said.
Hollett added that even if the cameras spotted unwanted activity, the chances that county staff would be able to respond in time is slim.
It is also just as unlikely that the RCMP would respond in time.
"We've called the RCMP in the past, and they consider it trespassing, which is a low priority, and because of the distances and response times, it is difficult for [police] to catch people in the act," he said.
Hollett also created, at the council's behest, a draft "Take It or Leave It" policy, including acceptable and non-acceptable items using similar lists from other municipalities.
Acceptable items (as long as they are in good condition) include bicycles, books, cookware and other dishes or kitchenware, day-to-day or seasonal decor, games and puzzles, gardening tools, gently used construction materials, hard suitcases, home repair tools, small appliances and toys, not including stuffies.
Non-acceptable Take it or Leave It items that should go into the transfer station's waste bins or somewhere other than a transfer station include all items in poor condition, air conditioners, bedding including pillows, car seats, clothing, construction debris, cribs, footwear, furniture, hairbrushes and combs, hazardous materials and products, helmets, large appliances, mattresses, opened hygiene products, protective gear and underclothing, soft-shelled suitcases, stuffed toys and upholstered pet bedding and furniture.
"Historically, site operators have had a good sense of the community and what was easy come, easy go," Hollett said. "Being as we have fairly new operators at our sites, it is taking them more time to learn what area residents are looking for."
But having said that, Hollett said in the draft policy that he suggested the site attendant should have the final say on what was accepted.
Chief administrative officer Gordon Frank interjected council could debate what should or shouldn't be included on the list when the policy comes before council, saying the tentative list was included in the request for decision for council's information.
