Jan 27, 2015 By Nick Lewandowski 3 min read

Something is rotten with the state trash collection in Mt. Lebanon.

Garbage cans full of trash have been left uncollected for days. Discarded Christmas trees sat curbside for weeks. Commissioner Kristen Linfante said service had deteriorated to the point where local realtors are complaining. Too many prospective home buyers have been asking uncomfortable questions about piles of trash.

Residents and commissioners alike blame Republic Services for shoddy work. The frustration was evident at the Jan. 26 meeting, as commissioners vented to company representatives.

“We had you in here last May,” Steve Silverman told company representatives. “Now we’re here again. How many times do we have someone come in and say there’s a problem? It’s a pattern and I’m not convinced it will turn around to everyone’s satisfaction.”

John McGrogan, Republic’s municipal services manager, blamed “eighty percent” of service disruptions on weather-related issues and the ripple-effects they have on collection schedules. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that the company had made mistakes and pledged to right the ship.

Craig McCawley, newly-appointed operations manager and 26-year industry veteran, said he had already identified areas for improvement.

“We have good drivers, but they are young drivers and they need coaching,” he said. “We have pulled all our supervisors out in the field on the residential lines. A lot of this comes down to routing and mapping.”

McCawley said he had dealt with similar issues throughout his career but “not all at the same time.”

Back in June, commissioners gave company representatives a similar dressing down following service disruptions around the Memorial Day holiday.

Commissioners also approved a $75,000 contract with Wildlife Specialists LLC for trap-and-bolt euthanasia of deer. Mt. Lebanon will pay $500 per euthanized deer, for an amount not to exceed 150 deer. The contract is set to begin Feb. 1, though Mt. Lebanon must still receive approval from the Pennsylvania Game Commission before proceeding.

Commission vice-president Kelly Fraasch asked whether contracting with Wildlife Specialists constituted a conflict of interest, considering the firm’s president, Merlin Benner, has been the consultant assisting the municipality with the development of its deer management plan.

Solicitor Phil Weis said it was perfectly legal to award Benner’s company the contract, since Mt. Lebanon had sent a request for proposal to a number of different firms. “Some people might perceive a conflict of interest, but legally there is no problem,” he said.

Much of the trapping will occur at night, Benner explained, adding that Wildlife Specialists would coordinate with Mt. Lebanon police to identify appropriate sites for traps, ensure resident safety and protect the traps from tampering.

Commissioners hope to proceed with trap-and-bolt euthanasia to salvage something of the municipality’s deer management plan, which hit a major stumbling block in December when a dearth of hunting licenses prevented archery hunting on public land.