12 March 2009
Trains to be Stopped to Allow Pitt Cleanup
Pitt Meadows resident Darlene Mercer pictured a year ago with
garbage, a situation that hasn't changed.
Pitt Meadows British Columbia - It's been a couple of
years and hundreds of e-mails but soon CP Rail will stop the trains for an hour and a group of Pitt Meadows residents,
staff from MP Randy Kamp's office, and the city's Green Team will clean up the tracks between Davie Jones and Edith McDermott
elementary schools.
Darlene Mercer has been trying to get the area cleaned up for a few years, but she's happy it's finally going to happen on
21 Mar 2009.
While she's "extremely pleased" the cleanup is happening, Mercer said the next step should be to have more preventative
measures in place - for example, higher fencing so garbage can't be thrown over.
"They should take better care of their property," Mercer said of CP Rail.
But CP Rail spokesperson Mike LoVecchio said the criticism of messy railways is "misdirected," and the community as a whole
should ask why people throw garbage on private property.
"Why in the world do people think they can use a right-of-way as a trash dump?" LoVecchio said. He added that
it's as exasperating for CP Rail as it is for the community.
"It's an issue of personal responsibility," LoVecchio said. "Perhaps all of us need to take responsibility for our
actions and not litter on other people's property."
This is an issue in the thousand communities in North America where CP Rails runs through, LoVecchio said, and "all of us as
members of the community should be part of the solution."
Six community volunteers will be equipped with safety equipment and steel-toed boots while the trains are stopped for an
hour on 21 Mar 2009 and as much garbage will be removed as possible.
"We'll be hustling," Mercer said.
LoVecchio pointed out that the cleanup comes at a "significant financial cost" to CP Rail by causing an interruption in
their operations. But he said this is an "excellent community initiative" and the company is happy to help clean up Pitt
Meadows.
The cleanup party came up for discussion at last week's council meeting, and Mayor Don MacLean questioned the appropriateness of the
Pitt Meadows residents volunteering for it.
"It's not the job of our citizens to clean the property of CP Rail," MacLean said.
Councillor Deb Walters and her husband are part of the cleanup crew along with other citizens, and legislative director Laurie Darcus
and city engineer Ike de Boer.
Walters brought forward a resolution to be considered at the 2009 UBCM asking the province to give municipalities the "means to
enforce cleanup of graffiti and litter in a timely manner."
City operations director Kim Grout said the city has had to "hound" utilities to clean up graffiti and other messes in the
community.
"It would be nice to have stronger teeth," Grout said.
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