Compost facility to be closed on Saturday

The Kennett City Council approved a request by Street Commissioner, Randy Carter, to close the compost facility on Saturday to allow more time for the scheduled burning of the limbs. File photo

The Kennett City Council approved the closing of the Kennett Compost Facility on Saturday to allow more time for the scheduled burning of the limbs gathered in the months following the recent January Ice Storm.

Kennett Street Commissioner, Randy Carter, originally requested that the facility close early on Saturday with the scheduled burn beginning at noon.

He informed the council that he understood that a lot of citizens would be working in yards over the weekend with all of the leaves down, but with ashes and smoke in the facility he believed that it would be safer if the compost was closed during the burning.

Carter added that a property owner near the compost had signed a waiver, but asked that the fire not be started if the wind was blowing in the direction of the residence.

"I told her that we would not start the fire if the wind was blowing in her direction, although we could not guarantee that the wind direction would change," Carter said.

He noted that the Kennett Fire Department will be on hand for the burning.

"I had hoped to burn in October but the weather did not cooperate with us," Carter said.

Alderman Larry McDowell asked Carter if the extra time on Saturday morning was needed for the burn.

Carter noted that the pile was not going to burn in one day and that it could not be determined how wet the material was inside of the pile.

"My thought was, if you needed more time, to just close all day Saturday," McDowell said.

Carter informed McDowell that this would give them more time, but he was concerned with the number of people that would be working in yards over the weekend.

McDowell said that he did not see a problem with closing the facility all day.

The council agreed with McDowell and informed Carter to close the entire day to work on completing the burn.

Carter noted that the compost would have three full days of burning with a whole day on Saturday, because the compost is regularly closed on Sunday and Monday.

He also asked for cooperation from the citizens of Kennett to allow the facility approximately four days following the burn to reorganize before presenting large piles of debris to the compost.