Electronic drop-off goes awry
Two weeks after a free electronic drop-off event for McGregor and Marquette residents, piles of TVs and computer monitors were still piled outside the Marquette city shop. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor
A May 6 electronic drop-off event that began as a service to McGregor and Marquette residents has turned into a headache.
Marquette City Manager Denise Schneider began working with Thede Computer Repair, from Manchester, several months ago about holding an event for the communities. The posters and other literature provided about the event—which were then publicized—all stated the electronic drop-off was free to residents. All items were to be recycled, at no cost, with the help of Quick Pickins Consumer Recycling Services, also of Manchester.
“They said no charges, no fees,” Schneider said.
Early last week, however, the city of Marquette, which hosted the event at the park shelter across from the city shop and police station, was still stuck with piles of old TVs and computer monitors. John LeGassick, from Quick Pickins, was demanding $2,500 to get rid of them.
“No one came at me with the quantity you did,” LeGassick said at the city’s May 16 council meeting. People were allowed to drop off up to two televisions at no cost, but any after that should have cost $5, he added.
LeGassick claimed he took two truckloads of electronics from Marquette to Manchester that day, Saturday, May 6. In the meantime, it was a free-for-all at the drop-off site, with some at the meeting claiming truckloads of electronics were dumped, with many of the vehicles bearing Wisconsin license plates.
According to LeGassick, he tried to collect fees later in the day, but by then, it was too late.
“We made a deal with them. You have to have someone there,” Schneider said. “If you don’t have that, people will come in with truck loads.”
“Because they didn’t police it,” she continued, “it turned into a fiasco.”
Schneider said the Marquette city workers dropped off the remaining appliances—enough to fit in a semi trailer—in Manchester last Friday. City workers from McGregor helped load the trailer, but did not travel with them. The McGregor Council, at its May 17 meeting, also said the city would not contribute any funds.
Now, Schneider said, it’s up to the Marquette Council whether LeGassick gets paid.
“It’s disappointing,” she said of the whole situation. “We were really excited to offer the event.”
