As part of its litter removal efforts, including the ongoing Litter Sweep, N.C. Department Transportation crews, contractors and volunteers have now collected more than 4 million pounds of litter from roadsides since Jan 1, 2021. […]
Keeping the Sanitation Department in the black has always been a challenge for the Town of Highlands. Of its three enterprise funds – electric, water/sewer and sanitation – sanitation always needs a transfer of funds […]
With COVID on the rise, Highlands’ rental business is booming and the real estate market is changing. Vacationers, short-term renters, and new homeowners have decided to escape quarantine in their home states and make Highlands […]
Here is yet another photo that illustrates trash disposal problems that a small number of residents continue to generate. Yes, I and the board might be viewed as garbage nazis by some with the passage […]
Tonight is the November meeting of the Highlands Town Board of Commissioners. It begins at 7 p.m. by way of Zoom. The Zoom information is on the town website (and pictured at the bottom of […]
A picture is worth a thousand words, or at least 500. The photo of an overstuffed bear resistant garbage toter that was placed on the road Sunday afternoon illustrates a growing problem in Highlands. I […]
Tonight, is the October meeting of the Highlands Town Board. It will begin at 7 p.m. by way of ZOOM. I had hoped the meeting could be in person, but technical problems and the ongoing […]
Next week is the town’s annual white goods pickup. From Monday, Oct. 5 to Friday, Oct. 9 town crews will pick up appliances such as old washers, refrigerators and dishwashers and haul them to the […]
Let me talk trash. Beginning this past Thursday our trash problems began. Town Hall staff received a high volume of calls from folks saying their thrash had not been picked up. Some callers said the […]
People are swarming back to the mountains, and that means more problems with bears. Well, more accurately, more problems with people who cause problems with bears. Bears have already destroyed at least one car and […]
Yesterday was Earth Day. In the past, the Highlands Plateau Cleanup took place on the Saturday closest to Earth Day. The sponsor of the event, the Highlands Chamber of Commerce, cancelled this year’s Saturday cleanup […]
The Town’s Code of Ordinances was amended last Thursday to address solid waste as it applies to bear-resistant toters and water and sewer allowances outside of town. The Code of Ordinances is not the same […]
Public Works Committee talks trash pickup The proposed lightning up of Main Street will not happen this year, so says Mayor Pat Taylor after a meeting with Town and Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Center staff […]
I have been asked why the town wants to change the way residential garbage is collected. The old adage, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” has been invoked. My response is that the way […]
The buzz last week was why the mayor removed the trash dumpsters at the recreation center. I have gotten feedback about the decision. I did not make a unitary decision to remove the dumpsters. It […]