Poteau preparing for trash-off

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By KEN MILAM
It’s Trash Off Month, and teams in Poteau are gearing up for the main collection event on April 16.
Poteau Area Chamber Karen Wages introduced Trash Off Chairman Tracy Gerlach to the city council Monday night.
Gerlach said signup sheets are available at the chamber, and encouraged everyone to begin now cleaning up neighborhoods.
The council warded a five-year service to Kevin Gee with the Fire Department and approved five promotions and assignment changes on the Police Department – Corporals Kurt Morsund and Justin Dodson, Sergeant Brandon McDaniel, Detective Sergeant Brandon Richie and Detective Sergeant Chris Adams.
Much of the evening’s discussion involved dilapidated properties.
Two sites, the old McCroskey Building on Dewey and a building at 1700 Central, were removed from the list after the owners made several improvements.
Two property owners, Dave Akins and Larry Griffin, asked for the city help in hauling off debris from properties they are cleaning up
Some council members objected to using public funds for private projects, but other said the owners had shown good faith in cleaning the sites and already spent considerable money. No action was taken on the items, but Tommy Robertson, Winford Webb and Monte Shockley were named to a committee to study the issue.
The owner of an old flower shop at 601 S. Harper was given 60 days to make it “livable” or have it demolished. The same owner was told too much time already had been granted to fix up a nearby house at 503 Walters and the city would proceed with remedying the situation.
The council voted to include food trucks or restaurants that are not in a commercial zone to under the city’s Specific Use Permit.
The council also amended the minimum lot size for R-2 zoning from 60 to 50 feet. The change affect existing lots only.