Residents urge action on recurring dumping at vacant property and request alternative stadium sites to protect mature forest

Multiple residents spoke during the citizens comment period on June 1 to press the council on neighborhood enforcement and proposed public projects.

Lindsay Bean, who said she lives at 10 Alpine Court, described persistent illegal dumping in front of her house and on adjacent properties at a long-vacant building she says has sat unused for about 15 years. Bean said she has documented repeated daytime and nighttime dumping on camera since September 2025 and that prior reports to police, the sheriff and other authorities have not resolved the problem. She asked the town to intervene so neighbors are not left to bear cleanup costs and safety risks.

Several residents spoke about a proposed baseball stadium site located in a mature hardwood forest south of Smithfield High School. Resident Kyle McKel, who said he runs the trails in those woods, said the stand of tulip poplars could be 180 years old and urged the council to consider alternate vacant lots for a stadium and to convert the forest into a public nature area. He said public feedback posted to social media largely favored protecting the woods.

Other comments included requests for better public-notification tools: Stephanie Avery asked the town to implement an opt-in text/alert system for utility outages and emergencies so residents receive timely notices instead of relying on phone calls or county-wide alerts.

Council members acknowledged the complaints and asked staff to follow up on enforcement, public-notification options and the stadium siting process. No formal decisions on enforcement policy or stadium location were made at the meeting.