As published May 7, 2008

MEETINGS AT TOWN HALL

The following meetings will be held at town hall unless otherwise noted:

May 7 – Water & Sewer Commission, 7 p.m.
May 12 – Growth & Development Task Force, 7:30 p.m.
May 13 – MAMSA Façade, 7:30 p.m.
May 14 – Schools Committee Forum, 7:30 p.m.
May 15 – Parks & Recreation Commission, 7:30 p.m.
May 20 – MAMSA Meeting, 7:30 p.m.
May 21 – Sanitation and Recycling Commission, 7 p.m.

BULK TRASH

Curbside pick up of two items only will be held May 10. Have items at curbside by 6 a.m. on Saturday morning.

YARD WASTE SCHEDULE

Yard waste dates: May 17, May 31, June 14, June 28, July 12, and July 26, Aug. 9, Aug. 23, Sept. 6, Sept. 20.

WATER BILLS

Water bills have been mailed. If you have not received yours, contact Town Hall at 301-829-1424.

RECYCLING IS NOW EASIER

By now, Frederick County residents have received a letter from Frederick County Division of Utilities and Solid Waste Management. Carroll County residents will be receiving their letter this week. You may also find the letter on the town’s website.

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

The property owner is responsible for keeping their sidewalk clear for pedestrian use. Property owners must keep their property free of dirt, filth, rubbish, garbage or similar matter so not to cause rodent or vermin infestation. Property owners must also keep weeds and grass under 12” in height.

If this ordinance is violated, the town may send a written notice to property owner asking him/her to remedy the situation in a specified time. If the property owner fails to comply, the owner shall pay to the town the reasonable cost per hour for rubbish removal, trimming, cutting, or other actions, with a minimum charge of $250 for each separate lot.

Key Sanitation, Inc., 301-668-8282, is under contract to collect yard waste for the residents of Mt. Airy. Yard waste will be collected from the curb on the Saturdays listed below. It must be placed at the curb by 6 a.m. on the day of collection. Do not place full yard waste bags out prior to the yard clean up dates. Yard waste must be in biodegradable paper bags (no plastic bags).

Acceptable yard waste:, yard trimmings, grass clippings, hedge and garden clippings, tree prunings, leaves, brush and branches. Brush and branches must be cut in three foot lengths and be no more than three inches in diameter tied in bundles.

Non-acceptable yard waste: hazardous materials (hazmat), root balls, dirt, sod, rocks and branches larger than three feet long or greater than three inches in diameter or not tied in bundles. Any other items such as trash cans or other containers will not be accepted for collection.

We are able to keep costs to taxpayers down by only accepting material that the county grinder can handle, packaged in a way requiring minimal labor time in handling. This is a seasonal service; however, in the event of a weather related incident that generates a lot of yard waste (like a winter ice storm), Town Hall may arrange for an off-season pick-up. Be sure to check the local press and other information outlets for announcements.

FIRE HYDRANTS

If you see someone other than a fire truck taking water from a town fire hydrant, call the police at 301-829-0218 or town hall at 301-829-1424.

REPORT STREET LIGHTS OUT

If you see that a street light is out or flickering, report it to the town hall as soon as possible. Feel free to call after hours and leave a message on the recorder or e-mail it to town hall at mtairy2@carr.org. Be sure to give the street light location, your name and phone number, and if possible the pole number. The pole number is on a silver plate on the pole, and starts with F.

Allegheny Power takes care of repairing the lights and it takes two to three weeks.

MT. AIRY WEB SITE

Remember to check out the Mt. Airy website at carr.org/mtairy and find out about town meetings, town budget, permits, agendas, new proposals, committee vacancies and appointments, new resident information, business and church listings, trash and recycling collection, civic and service organizations, festivals and events, and more.

TOWN EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Radio stations to listen to are: Frederick Co. WFMD (am) 93.0; WFRE 99.9 (fm), WAFY-Key 103.1 (fm). Carroll County Stations –- WGTY 107.7 (fm); GRX 100.7 (fm); YCR 98.5 (fm); WHVR 1280 (am); GET 1320 (am); BAL 1090 (am); WTTR 1470 (am).

When there is any type of an emergency (such as a hurricane, ice storm and electric is out, etc.), listen to the radio stations listed above and television stations Channel 2, Fox 45, WJZ and Channel 13 for other emergency information pertaining to Frederick or Carroll counties.

TRASH COMPLAINTS

The contractor for the town's residential and commercial "hand pick ups" solid waste and recycling services is Key Sanitation Inc. Call the 24-hour service line, 301-668-8282, in the event you wish to report a problem regarding service. When no one is available to take your call, leave a message and you will receive a response within 24 hours. Please call with your problem as soon as possible.

If you have questions regarding what is recyclable, call town hall. On the web, visit www.mdrecycles.org to see how to close the recycling loop. Secure your recyclables so they do not blow throughout the neighborhood.

RESIDENTIAL TRASH/RECYCLING DAYS

Carroll County town residents have trash picked up on Tuesdays (except for Nottingham subdivision) and recycling picked up on Wednesdays. Frederick County town residents' recycling is picked up on Tuesdays (by Frederick County Recycling) and trash is picked up on Fridays. Nottingham Subdivision trash picked up on Fridays.

Trash and recycling for the entire town needs to be put out before 6 a.m. the day of pick up.

Use trashcans with tight lids. This will help keep animals out of the trash and reduce the chance of trash blowing around neighborhoods on windy days. Put trash in bags in containers. No loose trash please. Bags not in containers please tie securely. Remember to secure recyclables too. Using a paper grocery bag is a great alternative to bundling paper.

If you are a new resident or just want more information on recycling in Mt. Airy, call town hall or visit the web site. Listed below is what can be recycled:

Containers: Aluminum/Steel–Food/beverage cans, foil, and pie plates. Plastic Bottles–All plastic bottles are acceptable except motor oil bottles and antifreeze bottles. (Note: The only plastics accepted in Frederick County are plastic bottles.) No plastic plant containers. Glass Bottles & Jars–Food/beverage and bottles (all colors). These items can be mixed together in blue bins and satellite center containers.

Paper–Newspaper, junk mail, writing/computer paper, magazines, envelopes, catalogs under 1", phone books, boxboard (cereal type boxes), place in paper bags or tie in bundles. No wax coated boxes. No pizza boxes at all. Do not mix paper with other recyclables – keep separate.

Cardboard–Corrugated cardboard, must be flattened and no larger than 2.5' x 2.5', tape or tie in 6" bundles, no wax coated boxes.

Key Sanitation, Inc. our solid waste and recycling contractor, has provided this information. If you have any questions, call Key Sanitation Inc. at 301-668-8282.

BUILDING PERMITS

Reminder to all residents to contact the town hall before making any building changes to your property; a building permit may be needed.

AFTER HOUR EMERGENCY CALLS

Before making an emergency call to town hall regarding a water leak, etc., after hours, make sure it is a real emergency that can’t wait until town staff is at work.

TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICES

Maryland Relay Service allows individuals with hearing impairments to call an 800 number and use the operator to place a call to a non-TDD-equipped office or home. The operator will stay on the line to allow the deaf person to communicate with the call recipient. The phone number for the Maryland Relay Service is 800-735-2258. If you have a hearing impairment and need the services of Mt. Airy Town Hall, you may call the above 800 number.