Residents discuss Cardwell Dump

Concerns about the dump in Cardwell were addressed last Thursday at a regular meeting of the Madison County Solid Waste and Recycling Board.

Chris Wagner was one of the handful of residents at the meeting, and he expressed concerns about not only the appearance of the dump, but also illegal dumping.

Wagner said the trash is a big deal and they have to fix the problem. He stated they have to make the location look good.

"Let's keep it clean," Wagner said.

Wagner also addressed concerns with trash containers overflowing and said he has seen residents from Jefferson and Silver Bow counties dumping at the site.

Cardwell resident Jennie McArthur said the current sign that warns of a fine and the amount of fine does not stop illegal dumping, and there has to be consequences. McArthur told board members she has seen people from Bozeman, Butte, and Helena dumping trash at the site.

Board Chair Tikker Jones said they have been looking at this problem county wide and are in discussions about how they can change it.

Wagner suggested a fence at the property and stated the Cardwell site could be a model for other county dumps.

Wagner and others in attendance at the meeting also discussed having the site manned several days per week.

Board member Sue Heald said if they are going to have to hire additional help to man the sites in the county, folks will need to realize that if fees go up, it is because they have to have a person at each site.