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Parents in St. Michaels ask Talbot County to relocate recycling dumpsters from ball-field parking to protect children
Summary
Residents told the County Council that a cluster of recycling dumpsters located on the parking area for St. Michaels youth sports fields creates safety risks, trash, and parking overflow; they requested the county move the dumpsters to adjacent leased property and said Parks & Rec staff appear constrained.
Parents and volunteers in St. Michaels urged the Talbot County Council to relocate a large cluster of recycling dumpsters that occupy the parking area for local youth sports fields, saying the dumpsters force parents to park on Route 33 and create safety hazards for children.
“There isn’t a piece of recycled material that will take the place of a child if we lose one on 33,” said Lisa Hayes, president of St. Michaels Little League, during public comment. Hayes described parents and grandparents parking on the roadway, ticketing incidents, bags of refuse left around the bins and volunteers repeatedly picking up trash blown onto the fields.
Hayes said the recycling station was moved into the parking lot years ago and was supposed to be temporary. She said the county had leased adjacent land from the Meyerhoff family and that residents had been told the bins would be moved; Hayes said she has been told Parks & Recreation is “tied” and unable to resolve the issue. She also said county staff member Mr. Clark had previously reduced the number of bins but had not completed a full relocation.
Speakers said alternatives exist, including an existing recycling station behind Growls and a county‑leased parcel adjacent to the fields; they asked the council to move the bins to the county-owned/leased property and consider safer access from Route 33 rather than forcing parents to leave vehicles on the shoulder.
No formal county action or vote on the recycling location was recorded during the hearing. Council members thanked speakers and said they were listening to concerns. The transcript shows the matter was raised during public comment rather than as an agenda item, so no formal referral, timeline or staff response was recorded in this excerpt.
