By Steve Christy
Our District 4 office is fortunate in that we receive robust and regular emails, letters, and phone calls from our constituents. We rely on resident feedback and it is very helpful to us as we engage in addressing problems and formulating positions. We even hear quite often from folks who don’t live in our District, asking for help or support on various items or expressing their opinions on assorted matters.
One issue that is being brought before us is a growing one, both in quantity and in seriousness. That issue is the increasing concern about the accumulation of waste and trash along our area’s roadways and highways. Residents are tired of seeing our beautiful vistas and landscapes strewn with filthy trash. The natural high desert vegetation and mountain scenery is why many were drawn to the Vail/Corona de Tucson communities in the first place and all of this pristine beauty is be-spoiled and bombarded with huge volumes of human-generated refuse. It is not only disconcerting, it’s painful to witness.
I have had numerous discussions with County officials about this errant trash issue in our region and at the last SERC meeting, the subject was intensely brought up again to the various official presenters and area participants. One problem is jurisdictional – Who is responsible for the care and maintenance of our streets and highways? As you know, our region has numerous governmental agencies involved: Pima County, City of Tucson, Arizona Department of Transportation, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forrest Service, and even some others. But when questioned about the never-ending mess being created along our roadways, the answer seems to be the same: COVID-19.
Until the pandemic hit, the Department of Corrections provided some semblance of regular effort to pick up the trash accumulation along our thoroughfares. Inmates were deployed at set intervals to remediate the trash problem, as they have done for years. Since COVID-19, health concerns about the spread of the virus among the inmates and the populace have curtailed this resource. It has fallen into the responsibility of the various transportation-related departments, which have each stated there is inadequate staffing to provide for the removal of trash and attend to their regular duties, too. My office will continue to advocate for trash removal and see to it that this problem stays front and center before the appropriate jurisdictions and agencies. At the end of the day, it is the agencies responsibility and we pay taxes to have our roads clear of trash. It is my responsibility to hold the appropriate governmental entities accountable and that I will do.
In the meantime, my office hereby issues a community challenge. We will engage regional leadership, particularly the Greater Vail Area Chamber of Commerce, the Vail School District, and the Vail Historical Preservation Society, along with others wishing to take this challenge up. Your District 4 office will provide the tools, specifically garbage bags and other items, if our Vail/Corona de Tucson community will set aside a day or days, along with the necessary volunteers, to pick up trash and keep our region clean. Civic groups and clubs could participate and perhaps a bit of competition among them could be added. Everyone would be outdoors and exercising. I’ve done this myself in my neighborhood and found that a lot can be accomplished in a very short amount of time and it truly makes a monumental difference.
So what do you say Vail/Corona de Tucson? Are we up to the challenge? Let’s attack this awful trash problem and take back our region’s beauty. Together, we can have a huge impact!
Steve Christy
