Corrections added

About 20 members of Citizens for Recycling presented their 1,306-person petition to the Charleston City Council Tuesday night for the support of the adoption of a curbside recycling program for the city.

More than 12 Eastern environmental biology students for professor Nancy Coutant also attended in support of the recycling group.

Charleston resident Donna White handed the petition to Mayor John Inyart, citing a reasonable, frugal curbside recycling program should be enacted in Charleston.

Fellow member Lou Conwell said the increase in participation in city recycling from 20 percent with a drop-off program to 95 percent with a curbside program should be reason enough to enact it. However, two large questions remained in lieu of the support.

“We obviously had overwhelming support, but I was asked frequently two questions – what would it cost and when would it begin?” said Kathy Hummel, a member of the group.

She then presented Inyart with a “magic wand” made entirely out of recycled materials to ensure the council uses its power to “do the right thing.”

Inyart assured the large crowd that the council would be undertaking the issue of implementing curbside recycling at their fall retreat in November. All council members expressed favor of it pending the cost of the new program.

Richard Hummel invited the council and the community to attend the group’s question and answer panel at 6:45 p.m. on Oct. 9 at the Wesley United Methodist Church. Representatives from Charleston-sized cities will speak about their pursuance of curbside recycling and how it was implemented into the community.

In other business, council members debated the approval of Unique Homes’ petition for a variance on parking and loading. Unique Homes requested the variance to allow five extra parking spaces in the defined front yard of their apartment complex instead of the three limited by the Unified Development Code.

Unique Homes requested the variance based on the hardship of having a front yard that is cornered around the property and compliance with what would be more aesthetically pleasing for the tenants. The spaces will accommodate new additions to the complex. Unique Homes does not have to request to add spaces because it can add more under the unit by stilting the complex.

“My concern is that we have to choose from the lesser of two evils,” said council member Lorelei Sims. “Either we pass the variance allowing a precedent to be set, or we postpone and they stilt the building damaging the profile of the neighborhood considerably.”

Both council members Jim Dunn and Jeff Lahr agreed with Sims’ summation of the issue. Council member Larry Rennels abstained from the vote due to voiced concern of his bias in the issue because of a business altercation with Unique Homes in the past. The variance was passed with a 4-0 vote with his abstention.

The council also approved a two-year contract for open-market electrical power for a budget increase of 7 percent instead of the projected 15 percent.

“We took a gamble and it paid off,” said City Manager Scott Smith.

Krystal Moya can be reached at 581-7945 or at [email protected].