Letter: It’s Time to Repoen Take It Or Leave It At The Transfer Station
Amherst transfer station. Photo: amherstma.gov
The following letter was sent to the Amherst Town Council on February 26, 2022
I am writing to ask for your help in reopening the Take It or Leave It (TILI) tables at the Town Transfer Station. I believe the TILI area is a real part of our town’s uniqueness. It began decades ago, when the landfill/transfer station was opened after the previous landfill site was closed. It serves (along with the Book Shed) as a place for residents (who purchase a yearly “sticker”-currently $100.00) to leave household items that others might take if they find them useful. It has also been a place for residents to meet, socialize a bit, discuss town affairs and gather signatures for nomination papers and petitions. It was closed 2 years ago as part of the response to the pandemic.
Steve Telega is the manager of the Transfer Station and has shared with me some of his concerns about the TILI area and why he would prefer not to reopen it. I believe his concerns are real and can and should be addressed. I would be willing to be part of a group that meets to resolve these issues so that this special place can be reopened.
Norman Brown
Norman Brown is a resident of Amherst.
I too share Norman’s desire to reinstate the TILI area at the landfill. I had asked Steve Telega about that possibility some time ago and he told me it would not be reopened because it was costing the town money to upkeep. I left the topic alone beyond that, though pondered on it. It seems most things are usable and left in a desire for others to possess items that might be useful to them. I have found a few things over the years that became part of my desirable findings. There is also the things that are left, merely to get rid of them and not have to pay to discard them. These are eventually removed and dealt with by the landfill to discard. That’s a problem, indeed.
If there can be a way to reinstate the TILI in the future it would please me, and many others who made a peek at what there was for the taking (or leaving).
I would be more than willing to be part of a group to discuss this as well. Take it or Leave It has a ton of value, but it should not make work for a lot of other people in the process. I would love to find a solution.