Panama hears concerns about Main Street garbage containers
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PANAMA -- The village of Panama recently held a conversation on garbage containers that are kept along the village's Main Street, following a village resident bringing concerns to the board, specifically on the containers' visibility and safety concerns.
The resident's main concerns were that the garbage containers sitting on the Main Street sidewalks remain very visible to residents and people traveling through the village, along with a safety concern about pedestrians, including people in wheelchairs, having to maneuver around them. While she acknowledged that the village providing garbage services through Casella Waste is important, she also asked if it would be possible for these cans to be stored somewhere else until pick up day.
Mayor William Schneider said that the majority of these garbage containers on Main Street are residential and not commercial, and the village is aware of the location of the containers and these concerns have not gone unnoticed.
"We're at a tricky point because we're trying to find a place where they can be housed that helps everybody out and gets them moved off of the street," Schneider said. "The problem is space, we have no space because it's a landlocked residence."
Schneider has also talked with Casella's about the issue, adding another issue that has come up with having the containers where they are is that if someone parks there, then Casella's cannot reach those containers. Schneider said they have been working with Casella's about the issue, and are looking into who owns what spaces, noting that it is hard because these residents also do not have yards or driveways.
"It has to be addressed before the snow season," Schneider said. "That's my goal. I'm working with the landlord to find an appropriate placement for those."
Schneider noted as well that just because people do not hear about the work going on, the village is constantly working on issues such as this. There are several communities and other villages, he added, including Falconer, that have the same sort of issue.
"Again, it's a tricky issue because of property line management, and we have to work with the landlord here to see what he owns back here in order to have a place to put them," Schneider said.
Schneider said right now the village is working on looking into what area is owned by who, and then will be respectfully asking landlords to place their garbage containers somewhere besides out front once that is determined.