Letter to the editor: Smokers corner by DMACC ‘a hideous mess’

9
2676
Reader says litterers should celan up their mess at Third and Railroad streets. Photo courtesy Nick L. Eakins

To the editor:

I’ll be the first one to admit former smokers are the worst critics of those still caught up in the habit, and I’m no exception.

I was loathe to say anything until now because I took for granted either DMACC or the city of Perry would eventually address the situation, but unfortunately my expectations were apparently not grounded in reality.

No one seems to care the corner of Second and Railroad streets across from DMACC is a hideous mess.

That’s the closest and most convenient place for students to smoke. The area adjacent to the school is pristine because no smoking is allowed there. The sanitary conditions on the opposite corner leave much to be desired, though.

I surely wish the students themselves would police that area because they dispose of their butts, bottles and garbage in a reckless fashion.

Rather than just tossing their butts, they should acquire the habit of field dressing them. This is the practice of squeezing off whatever part of the cigarette is still burning and placing the remnant in one’s pocket until it can be disposed of properly later.

There are two garbage cans within walking distance of said problematic corner, where they can properly dispose of their debris rather than litter and desecrate the Earth.

The photos included do not adequately record how the place usually looks. The corner was much worse before the rain a few days ago.

I certainly hope someone besides the Weather Gods sees to the mess.

Nick L. Eakins
Perry

9 COMMENTS

  1. My wife and I live right across the street from where the smoking corner is. You would think the city or DMACC would place a trash can so the smokers could place their butts, cans and trash. We have a problem with smokers coming from the local watering hole and sitting on the brench in front of our building, smoking then leaving their butts and other trash on the ground. Just like parking, DMACC and the city did a poor job of providing for parking. If you have a bussness in this area, you’re just out of luck for parking.

  2. As I do agree with you about littering, I’m not sure how it would be DMACC’s responsibility to clean it up, considering it’s not even on their property let alone the same street as DMACC. Maybe a solution would be to put an ashtray and garbage can on that corner.

  3. Am I missing something here? Are you sure you’re talking about Third and Railroad St? DMACC is located on Second and Otley. Third and Railroad are down the street from DMACC, so why would DMACC be responsible for cleaning this mess up? I guess I’m just confused as to where you are referring to. I agree there should be more trash and smoke cans around the downtown area, though.

  4. Why do you think DMACC has a no-smoking policy? They don’t want to have to provide receptacles or be responsible for the other cleanup. It has nothing to do with health or any other factors. Smokers are treated as second-class citizens nearly everwhere. Nonetheless, we/they should be respectful.

    • Ms. Woods’ reply has reminded us about something, Smoky: Anonymous comments are not allowed on ThePerryNews.com. Our vigilance faltered a little on your comment, so we thought it best to make it clear. We encourage open, honest and lively debate on ThePerryNews.com’s stories, but we also require that people stand publicly by their own words. Nothing is easier than sniping from behind an alias, hence the rule.

  5. I happen to work at DMACC, and I believe we have a no smoking policy to promote a healthier lifestyle. Yes, it does help the appearance of the school not to have cigarettes all over the ground, but we do have several students who smoke, and they manage to keep the area clean. DMACC also has hundreds of high school-aged students who attend and who would not be old enough to smoke, so I think the school is just trying to be a good example to those kids in hopes they don’t take up the bad habit. I don’t think their not wanting to clean up the mess has anything to do with it. And as I’ve stated in my previous comments, the area they seem to be talking about (3rd and Railroad) isn’t even in the same area as DMACC, so I’m not sure why they were even brought into this.

    • The writer of the letter, Mr. Eakins, informed us that he misspoke in his original letter and that the area he had in mind is at Second and Railroad streets and not Third. That is also why he mentioned DMACC. He asked us to correct this error, and we did.

  6. Okay, that makes a little more sense, haha. In that case, I do agree that DMACC and/or the city should put a smoker’s can and trash can on that corner as it seems to be a problem. Although I still don’t believe DMACC should be responsible for cleaning up the mess as we really don’t know who made it. It could be a passerby or someone from another business. Who knows really? I think it should be the city that cleans it up, and maybe they can come to an agreement with DMACC to help place the necessary cans there to prevent it from happening again.

  7. I can sympathize with Mr. and Mrs. Coffin. The DMACC students do seem to monopolize the parking on Second and Railroad streets near the campus. If I am not mistaken, a lot just west of the NAPA store was graded and graveled for the specific purpose of parking for those students. I have asked a number of police officers why the area is not being used. I have never received a credible reply. It seems to me these young and healthy people could take a few extra steps and free up the spaces in the immediate area. As far as policing the area of discarded cigarette materials, I feel it is a personal responsibility. Littering is a violation of city ordinances, I’m sure. Littering around Perry occurs everywhere but is most noticeable in areas where people seem to gather and congregate. Maybe a crackdown is in order to address both concerns.

Leave a Reply to Bill COFFIN Cancel reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.