City of Troy sets hazardous waste disposal date

The City of Troy’s annual "Household Hazardous Waste & Electronic Recycling Collection Day" has been scheduled for Saturday, September 22.

The disposal site is The Alamo. Not the one in  San Antonio, TX, of course, but rather the one located directly across the street from the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility in South Troy, near the intersection of Main Street and East Industrial Parkway.

This will be an opportunity for city residents to safely dispose of hazardous materials not accepted through the city’s normal garbage collection service.

The catch: Anyone who wants to dispose of items is required to pick up a "participation coupon" at City Hall (5th floor of the Hedley Building, 433 River Street) during normal business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays Monday through Friday, but only 250 coupons are available, and will be issued on a first come, first served basis.

You read that correctly, only 250 coupons for a city with a population of more than 40,000.

What WILL be accepted:

• aerosols

• automotive fluids

• asbestos insulation (must be damp and double bagged)

• caustic/acidic cleaners

• chemistry sets

• corrosive liquids (acids, bases, muriatic acid, ammonia)

• pesticides

• oil/latex paint, stain, paint thinners

• poisons

• anti-freeze

• motor oil

• propane cylinders (20 lbs. or smaller)

• agricultural pesticides, DDT, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides

• PCBs

• esins/adhesives

• fuels (gas, kerosene)

• oxidizer (pool chemicals)

• household cleaners and polishes

• scrap metal
• electronic waste (computers, laptops, keyboards, monitors, TV sets, printers)
• compact fluorescent bulbs (except florescent tube lighting)
• tires ($3 per tire, (cash payments only)

What will NOT be accepted:

• medical waste or pharmaceuticals
• explosives
• household garbage
• recyclables (plastics, glass, paper products, cardboard, etc.)
• bulk refuse (furniture, carpet, mattresses, toys, appliances, etc.)
• large propane tanks (over 20 lb.)
• household/vehicle batteries
• fluorescent lighting (tubes)

Confidential paper shredding services also be available to participants. Residents with a solid-waste-day coupon can bring personal paper documents for disposal during their designated drop-off time. There is no fee.

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Why is Independence Day on July 4th?

In a letter written on July 3, 1776, to his wife, Abigail, founding father John Adams of Massachusetts predicted:  

"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

Well, he was only off by two days.

While the Second Continental Congress in assembly in Philadelphia actually voted on July 2, 1776, to sever ties with Great Britain, they adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4. From that time on, the Fourth became the day commemorated with all the hoopla Adams envisioned.

A few other facts about the momentous day:

• A formal call for independence actually had been issued on June 7, when Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion in the Congress to do so. Twelve of the 13 colonies represented there eventually voted in favor; New York abstained, then later cast a "yea" vote in favor.

• The Declaration of Independence was written by a congressional committee consisting of Robert R. Livingston of New York (who later would administer the presidential oath of office to George Washington), Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. Acknowledged as the strongest writer in the group, Jefferson created the majority of the wording.

• In 1781, several months before the key American victory at Yorktown, VA, Massachusetts became the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday.

• The Fourth of July was not designated an official national holiday until 1870, which was 94 years after the fact.

• Held since 1785, the Bristol Fourth of July Parade in Bristol, RI, is the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States.

• Since 1868, Seward, NE, has held a celebration on the same town square. In 1979, the little town of 6,000 residents was designated "America's Official Fourth of July City-Small Town USA" by resolution of Congress.

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Did you submit your 3rd quarter dues?

Dues for the third quarter of 2018 were due on Sunday, July 1.

If it slipped your mind, you can drop off your check ASAP to Treasurer Jerry Gordon and avoid incurring his wrath. Well, at least his stern look.

As always, there is a white locked mailbox just below the bulletin board in the mailbox gazebo. You can deposit your checks there without a postage stamp. You don’t even have to address the envelope; Jerry is the one who gets everything in that mailbox. As a matter of fact, you don’t even need an envelope – you can just drop the check in.

You also can use that mailbox for depositing any suggestions, comments, or questions you may have for the Terrace at Highpointe Homeowners Association Board.

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