County commended for focus on litter and blight
Dear Editor,
At a recent meeting of the Baldwin County Commission, Chairwoman Emily Davis made it clear that she had concerns about the problem of litter and blight in Baldwin County. Several other commissioners were quick to agree with her. I commend her, as well as the other commissioners, for verbalizing their concerns about trash that has begun to collect in certain parts of the city and county, as well as along its thoroughfares. It takes only a ride through the area to see they are right and that Chairwoman Davis’ concerns are very much relevant and needed.
While the focus on litter and blight in Baldwin County is in no way meant to diminish the importance of other needs the county has such as water and infrastructure upgrades, competitive pay for public safety officials in Milledgeville, and the recruitment of more industry, it is important to remember controlling litter and blight is also a priority, and if left unchecked can have second and third order effects. The ability to recruit business and industry can be impacted if potential recruits feel the community is one where the citizenry takes no pride in the landscape and its appearance.
In addition, a community with litter and blight oftentimes attracts unsavory activity and behavior. While no one is naïve enough to believe that this is the only thing that can bring such activity, it certainly does not help. Further, litter and blight can have a negative impact on property values and can create a degree of malaise and a dearth of civic pride.
The problem is not one that falls entirely on the shoulders of our local governments. Many of us are responsible for the problem, and all of us can be part of the solution. For one, we must be diligent in not littering our community- making sure that we do not inadvertently, or worse yet, advertently scatter litter from our vehicles or our residences is paramount. Second, we have to make sure we voice our disapproval for those in our community who do. Third, we have to make sure we are forthright in letting our local officials know we want the problem resolved and violators punished to the fullest extent of the law.
There are a number of things that can be done by our local governments to help combat the problem. Anti-litter campaigns, additional signage, educational programming for adults and students alike, and a reinvestment in the Keep Milledgeville Baldwin Beautiful Commission should all be part of the solution. The county and city, via this commission or independently, can partner with local civic organizations such as The Exchange Club, Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, and the Jaycees to make clean-up efforts and anti-litter campaigns part of their yearly programs and community service efforts. Partnering with The Milledgeville Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce to move these anti-litter initiatives forward would involve the business community and truly speak volumes in making this problem one that both our leaders and our citizens can shoulder and resolve.
While our community has lots of items on its “to do” agenda, cleaning up litter and blight should be one of those items.
It is one we can all get behind and should not cost the community a king’s ransom to pursue.
Dr. Jeffery Wells Milledgeville