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MARTINS FERRY -- City residents looking forward to cleaning out their basements and garages this fall will get a chance to do just that soon -- during a curbside cleanup.
Kristine Davis, president of Martins Ferry City Council, said Mayor John Davies announced during Wednesday's City Council meeting that a curbside cleanup will be held the week of Sept. 20 on residents' respective garbage pickup days.
"The cleanup will be held ... at your usual pickup site -- alley or street," she noted.
"People can set out with their regular trash whatever they need to for the cleanup, excluding tires, gas, paint, electronics and hazardous waste. They will take mattresses, which are supposed to be wrapped in plastic," Davis added.
In other matters, Davis said council learned that, based on a new formula, the city is expected to receive less American Recovery Act money from the federal government.
The city anticipates getting a total of $682,266, which is about half as much as they originally anticipated, she said.
In the new formula, she noted, townships are now also being allocated money.
She said the mayor pointed out that some of the infrastructure the city planned on using the money for lies within those townships.
In other matters, Davis said people with the Ohio River Concerned Residents attended the council meeting and continued to express concern with Austin Master Services, a radioactive frack waste recycler located on First Street in the city.
Davis said the representatives said they are concerned about not only potential water contamination issues, but potential air quality issues as well.
Since visitors to council are given five minutes apiece to speak, the mayor offered to set up a meeting with the group to discuss the issues more and to also ask questions as well.
"The city does have a lot of questions and is looking into and researching doing more monitoring above and beyond what we already do," Davis said.
After the meeting, Davies said test results of a raw water sample the city had sent to a private lab for testing of radium levels has not come back yet.
Meanwhile, the blighted Center Street brick house has been demolished, a job done by Davies.
Davies is slated to also demolish the old Rose Cafe building. Once it's down, the debris from both buildings will be hauled away at the same time.
The city also is struggling to keep up with the amounts of grass it needs to cut at places like the Riverview Cemetery, but vacant lots as well.
"The mayor said grass still is a problem. They are doing the best they can at the cemetery with two part-time employees," Davis said.
Davies has noted previously the city has had a difficult time finding new grass cutting workers this summer.
Council allocated $10,000 to the cemetery fund for the purpose of grass cutting.
Council also approved spending $9,500 for an emergency generator for the Liberty Engine Co. building, which is used as an emergency warming center in the winter and cooling center in the summer.
Also, council held a moment of silence for the 13 members of the United States military who died in the suicide bomb attack at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, during evacuations there.