Local residents who want to help raise funds for the county’s volunteer fire departments can do so while tidying up a bit at home, according to Hopkins County commissioners.
Precinct 2, 3 and 4 Commissioners accept at their respective precinct barns scrap metal; all funds raised from cashing in the scrap metal will be divided evenly among the volunteer fire departments in the county, the commissioners reported this week.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Joe Price said a total of $9,604 was raised over the last year from cashing in scrap metal.
“It’s free money that we’ve got that wasn’t part of our tax money,” Price said.
Two clean up days are designated each year, generally in April and October, to allow county residents to removed large unwanted items from their homes, things other than regular household trash, and deposit them in the designated receptacles furnished at their precinct barns.
However, the three commissioners said scrap metal will continue to be accepted during regular operating hours each week at the county precinct locations. Scrap metal can include smaller broken household appliances without Freon or hazardous chemicals, old lawn mowers and similar items.
Precinct 2 and 3 barns will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday, and Precinct 4 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. to accept metal items only.
Community donations scrap metal donations won’t be accepted at Precinct 1 barn, but residents may take scrap metal to the other precinct barns to benefit the volunteer fire departments. Barker said the commissioners no longer accept household trash at their precinct barns. In an effort to maximize the workers he has for Precinct 1, scrap metal donations will not be accepted in Precinct 1. However, Precinct 1 will contribute to the cause.
“Here’s what I’m committed to doing: I will give you all the metal I pick up out of the ditches. I will send all the metal your way,” said Precinct 1 Commissioner Mickey Barker.
