We wonder if visitors to Bay County’s landfill will notice the Christmassy vibe.
The county is once again collecting used Christmas trees and plans to turn them into mulch and cover for the landfill.
The smart and beneficial government program will help locals shed themselves of the last vestiges of holiday decorations and do something useful with the refuse. January is a good time to point out a program like this unless you are like us and don’t take down your tree until all life has left it and the last needle has dropped.
Yes, our lights stay up even longer.
Residents can drop off their trees at the Sherman Avenue Recreational Complex, H.G. Harders Park or Pete Edwards Field. Businesses can drop off large quantities at the Steelfield Road Landfill or the Bay County Waste to Energy Facility.
County officials say the project is a win-win.
Meanwhile, you don’t have to look hard to find a lose-lose situation in Bay County. Consider the plight of Jason Roberts, a Panama City Beach property owner who, in response to criticism from his community about tenants trampling through dune sea oats and the possibility of fines from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), built a private walkover on Beach Boulevard.
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The project costing $18,000 was built to the exacting specifications of FDEP and … led to criticism from his neighbors and the Panama City Beach City Council. The council is so concerned it is drafting an ordinance that would prevent anyone else from building a similar walkover in the same area.
“Given the extraordinary height of the sand dunes south of Beach Boulevard, the council finds that the construction of private elevated dune walkovers will clutter the beach and its views and thus hinder the enjoyment of the beach by those using the existing beach accesses,” the proposed ordinance states.
The ordinance does not provide any cover for property owners if FDEP decides to fine them because their tenants trample through the dunes instead of trekking to an access point.
Beach Councilman Rick Russell proposed the ordinance and told The News Herald’s John Henderson that he believes Roberts’ neighbors about the “unsightly” view caused by the walkovers and that there are already enough access points to the beach in that area.
The ultimate question in all this is who should decide when something is “unsightly” or when there are enough walkways. Should it be the City Council, FDEP, private landowners or some other entity? It’s certainly true a large structure that obstructs a view of the beach is a nuisance to other landowners. But it also appears true that Roberts was faced with a no-win scenario.
Regardless, Roberts’ walkway will not be turned into mulch anytime soon. As Russell pointed out, Roberts followed the rules that were in place at the time.
The City Council and Roberts’ neighbors will just have to respect that, even as they work to change the rules for any other nearby landowners.