Coppell Chronicle Vol. 6, No. 4
City Will Issue (and Require) Trash Carts • Council Majority Rejects Senior Complex • Dogs May Replace Children at Day Care • Coppell Band to March in Dublin Parade
City Will Issue (and Require) Trash Carts
Every household in Coppell will receive a wheeled trash cart this year, and residents will be required to use them.
Last July, the City Council approved a new contract with Republic Services. One of the terms of that deal: Effective Oct. 1, residents will no longer be allowed to place trash bags directly on their curbs or in their alleys. Those bags will have to go in carts.
(See “New Republic Contract Includes Trash Cans” in Vol. 5, No. 21.)
During last week’s council meeting, Assistant Director of Community Development Luay Rahil said Republic requested the change because carts have become the industry standard. He also said several cities have made the switch because loose bags can present some challenges: Damage caused by adverse weather can create sanitation concerns, but bags can rupture even in ideal conditions, leading to scattered litter. And manually handling loose bags slows down the collection process.
“Carts solve all that,” Rahil said. “Cleaner alleys, faster collection, and a more consistent experience for every resident across the city.”
In advance of the October “go live” date, every Coppell household will have an opportunity to choose between a 65-gallon trash cart (which is the same size as the city-issued recycling carts) or a 95-gallon trash cart. Anyone who doesn’t express a preference will get the larger cart by default.
When Council Member Brianna Hinojosa-Smith asked what residents can do with existing trash cans, Rahil said he and his colleagues are still working on that. He said the most likely solution will be distributing “dispose of me” stickers. “Getting rid of trash cans is really hard,” Rahil said. “We do realize the challenge.”
Rahil also said he realizes it’s a challenge to communicate with every household in a city that has more than 43,000 residents. The new policies will be promoted via all of Coppell’s communications channels, including the city’s website, its social media, and the paper newsletter inserted with utility bills. But city employees also plan to make presentations at community events and outside grocery stores.
“No matter how someone prefers to get their information, we are meeting them there,” Rahil said.
Council Member Kevin Nevels asked how he and his peers can help get the word out, because he doubted the extensive communications efforts will reach every Coppell resident: “You know people are going to wake up on October 1st, and they’re like, ‘Why’s my trash bag still out here?’”
Rahil agreed with Nevels’ prediction: “I promise you: On October 1st, somebody will call and say, ‘I did not know about this.’”
Congratulations! Because you read this article, you won’t be one of those clueless people.
In other congratulatory news …
• Congratulations to Coppell High School graduate Nathan Schauf, who is a lead editor at Sony Pictures Animation. His work on KPop Demon Hunters has garnered an Eddie from the American Cinema Editors and an Annie from the Hollywood chapter of the International Animation Film Association. The movie has also been nominated for an Oscar in the Animated Feature Film category, and I’m told Schauf may attend this evening’s Academy Awards ceremony, which will be broadcast on ABC and Hulu beginning at 6 o’clock. Just in case he gets called up on stage, here’s what he looks like.
• Congratulations to Coppell Middle School East eighth-grader Krish Manjunath, who was named a co-champion of the Dallas Regional Spelling Bee last week. He shared the title with Avishka Dudala, an eighth-grader from Prosper ISD. They’ll both get to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will happen in May in a suburb of Washington, D.C.
• Congratulations to Coppell resident Sveta Butko, who was recently named a Diamond Photographer of the Year by the Professional Photographers of America. She won the $10,000 grand prize in the International Photographic Competition’s Children and Teens category for the portrait seen below. Butko immigrated to the United States last year from Israel, where the winning photo was taken. You can see more of her photography here.
Council Majority Rejects Senior Complex
A majority of the Coppell City Council rejected plans to build a senior living complex on vacant land.
The negative votes came from Mark Hill, Brianna Hinojosa-Smith, Kevin Nevels, and Jim Walker. Walker asked the most questions among those four during a public hearing on March 10, and Hill made the strongest statement of opposition to the proposal for the northwest corner of Canyon Drive and North Coppell Road.
“This isn’t the highest and the best use, I think, for this property,” Hill said moments before the vote. “Overall, the building height is excessive, and the density is too high, and it’s just not appropriate for this area.”