Board to resume wandering cart issue on Tuesday

When the aldermen's Charter and Ordinance Committee meets Tuesday to consider a draft shopping cart ordinance, it will mark two months since the issue was left in committee limbo.

Still, in the time since, the wheels have continued to spin on the problem, with possibly more progress made outside the purview of City Hall than has been accomplished within.

Earlier this month, Walmart joined Price Chopper in equipping its fleet of carts with a wheel lock system that causes the carts to freeze up when taken beyond the store's property boundaries.

The Rutland United Methodist Church, meanwhile, is in the middle of launching a service project it hopes will address the other side of the issue – helping those who've made a practice of taking the carts out of the Rutland Plaza to transport their purchases, according to parishioner Marjorie Davis.

Last week, Davis and the Rev. Deborah Estey shared their two-part plan with the Board of Aldermen in the hope of attracting volunteers and support from outside the church.

The main component of the plan will be a volunteer-run service that will pick up shoppers at the stores and shuttle them to their homes, Davis said. The shoppers would first be required to register with the volunteers, but then would be able to call the service for a ride.

While the details of how exactly the service and telephone system will work are still being parsed, Davis said she's spoken with the manager of Price Chopper, who is enthusiastic about the plan.

The church has also contacted the local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs to see if they can help in the second part of the plan – trying to get some small shopping carts, the $19 variety sold at Walmart and Price Chopper, into the hands of those who are in the habit of taking the carts. Davis said she's still waiting to hear whether either organization could make a donation or hold a fundraiser for that purpose. Ideally, she'd like to see the carts raffled off, with a small pay-in from the winners, possibly $3, to establish a sense of ownership, she said.

The church is still looking for donors and volunteer drivers. For more information, call the church at 773-2460 or Davis directly at 775-3056.

The Charter and Ordinance Committee meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday on the first floor of City Hall.



A super idea

It's still summer (at least according to the calendar), but it's never too early to begin thinking about Halloween.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Halloween parade, the Chaffee Art Center has started planning for an October exhibit to pay tribute to the parade and one of its early founders, Tom Fagan, who brought about its early superhero themes.

Using photographs, artwork, personal accounts and memorabilia from past parades, the center hopes to chronicle the parade's history in a way that's never been done before, according to the center's executive director, Mary Mitiguy.

"There hasn't been somewhere where all this has been captured," she said.

Currently, a committee assembled to work on the project is consulting the library and historical society, while other members are working on securing permission from Marvel and DC Comics to copy the themes of the comics that refer to Fagan and the Rutland Halloween parade.

To paint a full picture, the Chaffee is hoping the public will come forward with to share memories, artifacts and donate time, she said.

The committee will hold its second organizational meeting, which is open to the public, at noon Friday. A booth will also be set up at Art in the Park on Aug. 8 and 9. For more information about participating, call the Chaffee Art Center at 775-0356 or [email protected].