Residents press Barnesville officials on Mill Street, blight and parks; Amwaste introduced as new hauler

At multiple council meetings in 2020 residents and community groups raised concerns about neighborhood maintenance, Mill Street’s appearance, trash-collection equipment and blighted properties.

At the January meeting Eddie Felton, chairman of Lamar on the Move, delivered a list of 23 locations requesting trash-can replacements, removal of abandoned vehicles, and additional tree trimming; he asked why Ward 2 and Ward 3 councilmembers did not meet quarterly with constituents. "Mill Street is one of the main thoroughfares into the City and it is one of the most unappealing. We can do better to represent our City," Felton said. Mayor Peter Banks disagreed with the characterization, pointed to weekly cleanup efforts and suggested Mr. Felton organize citizen cleanups if he wished. City Manager David K. Rose stated there is a process for abandoned-vehicle removal and that work orders had been made for the previously provided trash-can lists; he directed Assistant City Manager Tim Turner to reconcile lists and ensure repairs.

Throughout the year residents raised related issues: requests for additional park maintenance at Myles‑Wimberly Park and Summers Field, repeated reports of littering and curb‑side carts left at collection points, and a city inventory of roughly 70 blighted properties the city planned to address through Building & Zoning. City staff said some maintenance is performed via Georgia Department of Corrections crews and city contractors; staff scheduled tree trimming and headstone repairs at Greenwood Cemetery and said new trash‑can repair runs were in progress.

In December the council introduced Frank Arnold of Amwaste, which had acquired Dependable Waste and assumed local rubbish/recycling service. Arnold acknowledged early service issues and said the company was working to straighten out cart replacements and routing. City staff reported fewer outstanding work orders in the three weeks following the takeover but asked residents to report service problems to Amwaste or City Hall.

Why it matters: repeated public comments focused on long‑standing neighborhood maintenance and services that affect residents’ daily quality of life and equity across wards.

Quote: "Mill Street is one of the main thoroughfares into the City and it is one of the most unappealing. We can do better to represent our City," Eddie Felton said. Mayor Banks replied: "I disagreed with Mr. Felton and Mill Street is not the most unappealing street in our City."