Novel idea

An idea to give residents one free tipping pass at the local landfill this year, currently being tossed around as town council wrestles with the 2008 municipal budget, is a good one.
It looks to be a great replacement for the highly-successful high school cleanup that Walter Horban spearheaded for years before it finally fizzled out. And it certainly is a less aggressive approach than that taken by International Falls, where property owners now can be charged and fined for “eyesores.”
This isn’t to say Fort Frances is not a well-kept community for the most part. Most residents take great pride in caring for their lawns and gardens in the summer months, and making their homes attractive on the exterior.
The local horticultural society does an excellent job manicuring the grounds of public buildings like the library and Rainycrest. As well, Fort Frances has long enjoyed a reputation of having beautiful cemeteries, which tourists often comment on while passing through town.
Efforts also have been made of late to further beautify our town. The Chamber of Commerce’s “Project Petunia,” for instance, has blossomed to the point where flowers hang along much of King’s Highway/Third Street West and dot the various traffic islands during the summer—thanks largely to donations from local residents.
Still, more always can be done.
The one-time free tipping pass is a novel approach to a community problem. Yes, the town will lose revenue if council gives it the go-ahead, but that certainly would be money well forfeited if it means a cleaner, more attractive community.
Council would be wise to adopt this idea—and definitely consider extending it to be an annual event, not just a one-time gesture in 2008, if it’s serious about changing people’s attitudes towards town beautification.
Rome, after all, wasn’t built in a day.