Gunman takes aim at county waste collection site

By STEPH TAHTINEN

Mt. Pleasant News

A gunman reportedly fired shots towards the county waste collection site located in Winfield several weeks ago

?That was, I hope, an isolated incident,? Mike Prottsman of Prottsman Sanitation told the board of supervisors on Tuesday morning. ?That?s what we?re taking it as.?

Prottsman explained that a man was shooting across the paved road towards the waste collection site. The Prottsman Sanitation employee at the site was sitting in the truck at the time when the man started shooting, and Prottsman said that after shooting the man started running north.

?If he was just shooting at a pheasant or something, why would he run?? asked Prottsman, who noted that the man was dressed completely in camouflage without any blaze orange.

There was no visible damage to the truck. Prottsman noted that the man was arrested.

Overall, though, Prottsman reported that everything was going well.

?It?s going very well. It?s running smooth,? said Prottsman.

He noted that they still have to turn away people who are not rural residents. The waste collection service is for those who live in unincorporated areas only, but many residents of incorporated areas try to use the sites.

?We?re still doing the ID checks,? said Prottsman.

In other business, the supervisors met with County Engineer Bill Belzer, who informed the board that the bridge over Fish Creek is nearly complete.

?It?s getting much, much closer,? said Belzer.

The bridge, which collapsed in July 2011, has been under construction since the end of the summer and Belzer had originally thought it would be complete by Thanksgiving. However, problems with the grading contractor delayed progress and there is still some work to be completed.

?They thought the grading was done but it wasn?t,? said Belzer, noting that the contractor had to return to the site this week.

Riprap also needs to be added to the bridge and the guardrail must be installed.

The supervisors also approved an amendment to a resolution to acquire property for the solid waste site located behind the Emergency Management Building on West Washington Street in Mt. Pleasant.

The county is currently applying to have this property re-designated under the

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) department instead of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and this amendment to the county?s resolution will authorize Vice Chairman Gary See to sign documents related to the site and application.

Previously, Chairman Kent White was the designee. However, White?s term as supervisor ends this year.