Downtown Roanoke businesses press trash issues [The Roanoke Times, Va.]

Oct. 01--A new central trash compactor used by Roanoke City Market area businesses is causing a stink.

The city halted regular drive-by trash pickup in early September, and businesses in the core of the central business district must now haul trash as much as four blocks to the compactor.

The purpose, according to city officials and Downtown Roanoke Inc., is to get unsightly trash off curbs while it waits for pickup, and to keep noisy, smelly garbage trucks off the streets during business hours. It could also save downtown businesses money, they said.

Opponents say the process is costing small businesses not just extra hassle, but potentially hundreds of dollars a month in additional labor costs for employees hauling trash that far, and it forces them to assume responsibility for the safety and insurance of workers operating a piece of equipment they don't own or maintain. The city required users to sign a document releasing the city from responsibility for those using the machine.

"We're putting our employees in harm's way with this procedure and the city's refusing to accept responsibility," said Janet Schlosser, an owner of the restaurant Metro, who is circulating a petition against the compactor.

"It's less service and I'm ending up paying more for it," said Cornerstone Bar and Grill owner Mike Flanary.

Skip Decker, Roanoke 's head of solid waste management, said market area businesses have just been spoiled by the $140 per month fees for daily curbside pickup, which was a terrific bargain compared to similarly situated businesses in other cities. The fees didn't even cover the city's costs, he said.

Opponents don't debate the value of getting garbage off the curb -- which had to be put out to be picked up between 2 and 5 p.m. They just don't like the solution.

Schlosser said she has been asking the city for a decade to pick up the trash overnight.

That service is actually available for a higher fee until January, Decker said, but continuing it after that was deemed too expensive.

Decker said the central compactor idea started with DRI, but ran into staunch opposition from downtown businesses. It was resurrected from time to time, and finally got some support from businesses about two years ago when then-DRI director Sean Luther floated the idea again. DRI took about a year and a half to find a site for the sealed compactor.

It's behind 121 E. Campbell Ave. inside a secure area accessible with an electronic key fob issued to each downtown business. Business can tip two 96-gallon cans for free per week, and each thereafter costs $1. Users are identified by their fob.

The area has lighting and security cameras. There are also recycling receptacles. Installation cost the city about $150,000 Decker said, plus $1,250 per month in rent. The city expects to save $65,000 per year.

The service has its fans.

"It's not far away, it's simple to use," said Neal Elliott, general manager of Table 50 on nearby Market Street. The restaurant no longer has to store garbage, and can take it to the compactor any time it's convenient. "It solved a few of our problems and it hasn't really created any."

Vicki Harwell, owner of Blue Ribbon Boutique, said she has multiple sclerosis, and it's tough for her to haul the trash, "but to me it's worth it to make the effort."

She's been upset for years by the trash waiting on the curb every day.

Harwell expects the city to keep the compactor area clean, though. "I don't want to have to go in there on a gooey floor in good shoes," she said.

But inconvenience increases with distance, and restaurant owners farther away are seeing labor costs adding up as a result, they say.

Flanary said last week he paid out seven hours of labor just for taking the trash out. At Metro, Schlosser calculates their high volume of refuse could add up to more than $1,500 per month in extra labor.

"I feel like they're shifting the expense over to the small businesses," said Alex Eliades, owner of Bread Craft Bakery, who initially was a fan of the program.

Part of that cost is waiting at the compactor, where there is sometimes a line and which has broken down already, including at 3 a.m. on a recent Saturday, Schlosser said. Her workers also don't feel safe walking the downtown streets at those hours after weekend dinner business.

"There's a cost of doing business," Decker said. "How they manage their staff, I can't dictate that." The most recent breakdown of the compactor, he added, was caused by users. As a result, city staff stayed at the compactor to train users again every evening last week until 11 p.m.

Despite the training, opponents believe the city should still be responsible for users while operating the compactor since they own and maintain the machine.

"We have enough risk with our employees under our own roof," Metro co-owner Andy Schlosser said.

"The city is not present while these employees are using the compactor," said Assistant Roanoke City Attorney Steve Talevi, "and for that reason, the city is unable to extend its exposureto risk to those times or instances."

Users also complained that a heavy sliding gate to the compactor's enclosure that closes automatically had no safety mechanism to keep it from crushing someone standing in the doorway, but Decker said parts to correct that have been ordered and should be installed any day now.

The city doesn't seem interested in trashing the compactor program. Decker said it's seeing savings for taxpayers beyond expectations. Businesses and residents used to recycle about 20 tons per month in the broader downtown area. Decker said they're on pace to recycle that much just in the 20 square blocks in the core of downtown. That's a savings of $28 per ton, Decker said.

He expects the city to expand the program, hopefully with compactors more convenient to those users who are most upset about the new arrangement.

"We're learning, OK?" he said.

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