AUGUSTA — A group of Cony High School freshmen want smokers to stop littering the city — and the world — with their cigarette butts.

They plan to bring some ideas and a potential new ordinance they think will help reduce the number of cigarette butts littering Augusta to city councilors on Thursday.

Five Cony freshmen — Hannah Reis, Sierra Bowman, Zack Folsom, Cassie Clark and Kristina Brewer — as part of a community service learning project, studied littering and its impact on the environment. As part of that project, the students said in an email to city councilors, they learned it takes butts cast aside by smokers about 30 years to dissolve. And once they took a look around Augusta, the students said they found a disturbing amount of cigarette butts littering city streets, parks and other areas.

“Given the quantity found around the city, we see this as a huge environmental problem in Augusta and worldwide,” the students wrote. “After researching the problem, we have come up with a few ideas to reduce this problem and would like to share these ideas with you.”

Councilors are scheduled to meet with the students at their meeting Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at Augusta City Center.

In other business, councilors are also expected to meet again with a Winthrop Street woman who has tired of mowing the city-owned grassy area between the street and sidewalk in front of her property.

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Last August, Jane Adams, who owns three properties on the steep hill of Winthrop Street, approached city councilors and asked that the city mow the esplanade, which is nearly 25 feet wide in some areas between the sidewalk and street.

However, City Manager William Bridgeo expressed concern that mowing the esplanade by Adams’ Winthrop Street properties could set a precedent requiring the city to mow all such areas, and said the city does not have the staff or equipment to take on the added mowing work.

Adams abruptly left the meeting last August, leaving the issue unresolved, according to Bridgeo.

She recently contacted Councilor Michael Byron to again ask that the city mow the area.

Councilors are also scheduled to:

* discuss two proposed zoning changes — one at 42 Mount Vernon Ave. and the other adjacent to Paul Blouin Suzuki on Western Ave.;

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* hear a presentation from a group studying several issues regarding Alumni Field, including whether it would be feasible to convert it to artificial turf;

* discuss, at the request of a resident, pedestrian safety and speeding in the city;

* hear a presentation on tax increment financing; and

* discuss Old Fort Western taking ownership of archeological items being dug up in a project at the site of the former Fort Richmond.

Keith Edwards — 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com

 


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