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Lake Cavanaugh resident urges immediate recycling service; says project years in the making, disputes 'pilot' timeline
Summary
Larita Humble (known as Tweety) told Skagit County commissioners she has pursued curbside recycling at Lake Cavanaugh since 2013 and urged quicker action after a recent public-works meeting; she disputed a staff characterization of the project as a four-year pilot and listed prior contacts and documentation dating back to 2013.
At the Oct. 14 Skagit County commissioners meeting, Larita "Tweety" Humble of Lake Cavanaugh asked the board to move more quickly on establishing curbside recycling for the community, saying she has advocated for the service since 2013 and has documented years of correspondence with county and state officials.
Humble said Waste Management representatives and county staff were scheduled to meet with local volunteers, including Amy Lewis of Waste Management, and thanked commissioners for helping pursue the project. She said a public-works meeting the day before showed staff frustration with process and that project knowledge is often lost when staff or contractors change.
Humble disputed a comment at the public-works meeting that described Lake Cavanaugh recycling as a ‘‘pilot program’’ that would take four years. "I need to disagree with that comment, and this does not meet the definition of a pilot program, as recycling is not a new concept or idea to test," she said, adding that necessary studies and background work had already been completed years earlier.
Humble listed prior contacts she said had been involved in the effort: Eddie Nertzen (Skagit County Public Works, 2016), Marco Gillespie (Solid Waste Division Manager, 2016), Dominic Calabro (Materials Management Stewardship, EPA, 2018), Diana Wadley (Department of Ecology, 2018), John Cupp (UTC, 2018) and Alan Garvey (Waste Management, 2019). She asked commissioners not to let the project stall again and said volunteers have invested substantial time and energy.
Commissioner Janicki (referenced by Humble as speaking at the public-works meeting) had suggested Waste Management begin with Lake Cavanaugh while East Side communities follow later. County staff present at the meeting were not recorded in the transcript as making a permitting or funding commitment at the Oct. 14 session.
No formal vote or directive was recorded in this meeting on the Lake Cavanaugh recycling request; Humble said she hoped the planned meeting with Waste Management would advance the project.
Humble concluded by thanking commissioners for assistance and noting the long-term volunteer effort.
