CALEB NICKERSON
MRC PONTIAC April 21, 2021
The MRC Pontiac is asking the public to stop dumping their waste along the PPJ trails.
MRC Engineer Kim Lesage gave a brief report on . . .
the situation at the council of mayors meeting on April 21 and provided pictures of some of the trash she has discovered.
“We’ve received a number of complaints recently … about people dumping their yard waste, their compost, even Christmas trees, along the side of the PPJ trail,” she said during the meeting.
She said that the most current complaints are mainly from the Shawville area, but said that it is a perennial issue that has affected other towns as well.
Lesage told the mayors that their seasonal maintenance staff for the trail don’t start until May 3 and encouraged the public to report any issues regarding the trail to herself or the MRC. She said they would be adding signs and doing an awareness campaign on social media to encourage residents to dispose of their waste properly.
Last summer, the paved part of the PPJ in Shawville, along with several signs and benches, were vandalized with COVID-related graffiti.
While the signs and benches were quickly painted over, the vandalism is still legible on the pavement now that the snow has melted.
Lesage said in an email to The Equity that she had hoped the graffiti wouldn’t be visible after the winter, but added that once their seasonal staff return in May they could plan how to cover it up.
