JEFFERSON CITY — The Jefferson City Council approved the reopening of a temporary yard waste drop-off site at its meeting Monday night.
The council voted to reopen the site at 708 Ellis Blvd., which was open from November 2023 through the first week of January, according to Matt Morasch, director of the Jefferson City Public Works Department.
Currently, there is no yard waste drop-off site in Jefferson City. Clint Smith, Jefferson City’s director of planning and protective services, said the yard-waste services were discontinued because city council did not like either of the two bids, according to previous KOMU 8 reporting.
The city’s Public Safety Committee asked the department to reopen the temporary site.
The site is set to reopen by April 1, if not sooner, according to the City Council resolution.
The site will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. The city administrator could change the hours of operation, but would have to notify the council of such a decision.
The department proposed to expand the site and create a new entrance because it could be used for at least several months. Previously, the entrance was directly off the Ellis Boulevard and Tanner Bridge Road roundabout. The new entrance would be further east on Ellis Boulevard, and residents would exit into the roundabout.
The department would need to build a gravel road on the site to connect the entrance to the drop-off area, Morasch said.
The department estimates it will cost $20,000 in materials to reopen the site, according to a council memo. The money will come from funds already budgeted for residential waste services.
Public Works employees would work on an “as needed basis,” according to the memo. Employees would occasionally stop by the site to monitor it and a video camera would be installed. Otherwise, it would operate on the honor system.
