Council member puts focus on West Tuscaloosa cleanup efforts

By WVUA Student News Reporter Caleb Aguayo

Like many West Tuscaloosa residents, District 2 Tuscaloosa City Council Member Raevan Howard has noticed a plethora of garbage piling up along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Moody Swamp Road.

So she did something about it. On Saturday, city workers were clearing out the illegally dumped refuse. Now the goal is keeping the area clean.

“I’m working to make sure that we have the signage in place to make sure that people know that this is a no-dumping area,” said Howard. “I’m looking at the possibilities of cameras in the area to catch those that are illegally dumping.”

Howard said the city knows where much of the trash is coming from.

“It became very clear that a lot of the debris and trash that was being illegally dumped in this area was actually from businesses that are accustomed to changing tires, doing mechanic work and things of that matter,” Howard said.

Once the area is cleaned up and signage is installed, Howard said she’s hopeful residents and businesses will keep things tidy.

“I was very pleased with the results of the clean-up effort,” Howard said. “Going forward I’m looking for the city to give me a little bit more support and to give me some advice on what we can do to keep this area more clean throughout the year along this area.”

Howard said the District 2 residents she’s spoken with are excited about their cleaned surroundings.