Interview with David Gauze, August 28, 2006

Partial Transcript: This is Dale Johnson for Eastern Kentucky PRIDE talking to Deputy Judge David Gauze in Lawrence County, Kentucky on August the 28th--twenty-se--28th, 2006.

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses some projects that have been funded in Lawrence County. Gauze also discusses some issues that the county's soil causes for septic tanks.

Keywords: Deputy judges; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Red clay,Subdivisions; Sewer line extensions; Sewers; Super grants

Subjects: Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Grants and funding; Lawrence County (Ky.); Plumbing.; Septic tanks; Sewerage.; Soils

Partial Transcript: Do you see that as your most pressing need for PRIDE right now is this, the se--uh, wastewater projects?

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses using leftover money from PRIDE grants to put dumpsters around the county. Gauze also discusses the reason the county doesn't do household appliance buybacks.

Keywords: Appliance buybacks; Dumps; Dumpsters; Illegal dumps; Litter abatement; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Roll offs; Roll-offs; Rolloffs; White goods

Subjects: Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Household appliances; Lawrence County (Ky.); Refuse and refuse disposal.; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: Now did, did you have a problem with illegal dumps at one time that--

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses illegal dump cleanups in Lawrence County. Gauze also discusses some potential plans for mandatory garbage collection in the county.

Keywords: Dump cleanups; Dumps; Garbage collection; Garbage pickup; Illegal dumps; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Refuse pickup

Subjects: Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Grants and funding; Lawrence County (Ky.); Pollution.; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Refuse collection; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: How would, um, how would you handle the enforcement if, um, the franchise says, "Well, we've got, so-and-so's quit paying their bill over here and um, and--"

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses enforcement of laws against illegal dumping, as well as plans for enforcement of mandatory garbage collection.

Keywords: Garbage collection; Garbage pickup; Refuse pickup; Solid waste coordinators

Subjects: Environmental law.; Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Law enforcement; Lawrence County (Ky.); Prosecution; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Refuse collection

Partial Transcript: How about, um, do you do any of the spring cleanups with PRIDE?

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses PRIDE cleanups and volunteers. Gauze also discusses the effect PRIDE has had on Lawrence County.

Keywords: Dumpsters; Litter abatement; PRIDE cleanups; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); River cleanups; Roll offs; Roll-offs; Rolloffs; Septic systems; Sewers; Spring cleanups

Subjects: Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Lawrence County (Ky.); Refuse and refuse disposal.; Rivers; Sewerage.; Voluntarism; Volunteers; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: But the quality, the water quality, just the, the sites that the city and the county has enforced, uh, new laws about, about, uh, uh--what's it called?

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses rules about salvage yards in the county. Gauze also discusses the Route 23 project and how it helped the county.

Keywords: Country Music Highway; Junk yards; Privacy fences; Route 23; Salvage yards; Scrap yards; Side roads

Subjects: Automobile graveyards; Environmental law.; Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Lawrence County (Ky.); Refuse and refuse disposal.; Roads; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: Lot of counties are--well I know um, I live down in Letcher County now, but I know Harlan County and Leslie County have been pushing these four-wheeler trails.

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses the potential tourism that having more ATV trails in the county could bring.

Keywords: 4-wheelers; ATV trails; All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs); Four-wheelers; Hatfield-McCoy trail; Horse riding

Subjects: All terrain vehicle trails; All terrain vehicles.; Horsemanship.; Lawrence County (Ky.); Litter (Trash); Tourism--Kentucky; Trails

Partial Transcript: Well that's what, um, PRIDE is trying to work towards right now.

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses the need to reach both children and adults to prevent litter. Gauze discusses the need for stricter enforcement of laws against littering.

Keywords: Children; Cigarette butts; PRIDE clubs; Parents; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Schools

Subjects: Canada; Cigarettes; Education; Environmental education.; Environmental law.; Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Law enforcement; Lawrence County (Ky.); Litter (Trash); Pollution.; Refuse and refuse disposal.

Partial Transcript: As far as PRIDE goes, in probably the last three years, I'm gonna say PRIDE's probably stuck over a million and a half, maybe even closer to two million dollars in, in Lawrence County.

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses the various projects Lawrence County has gotten funding for through PRIDE. Johnson also talks to the former solid waste coordinator for Lawrence County, Dennis Markham.

Keywords: County roads; Dump cleanups; Dumps; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Sewers; Solid waste coordinators; Surrounding counties

Subjects: Counties; Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Grants and funding; Lawrence County (Ky.); Refuse and refuse disposal.; Roads; Rural; Sewerage.; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: I know some counties are using inmates.

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses some potential plans for using inmates from the regional jail for cleanups in the county. Gauze and Johnson also discuss the smoking ban in Letcher County.

Keywords: Dump cleanups; Dumps; Recycling pickup; Regional jails; Roadside cleanups; Smoking bans

Subjects: Environmental law.; Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Inmates of institutions; Jails; Lawrence County (Ky.); Letcher County (Ky.); Litter (Trash); Pollution.; Recycling (Waste, etc.); Refuse and refuse disposal.; Roadside litter; Smoking; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: So, uh, what's causing these, um, subdivision developments?

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses the growth of Lawrence County with more industry and tourism coming to the area.

Keywords: Adult daycares; Day cares; Grocery stores; Industry; Jobs; Occupations; Sewers; Subdivisions

Subjects: Day care centers.; Employment--Kentucky; Golf courses; Hotels; Industries; Infrastructure; Lawrence County (Ky.); Restaurants; Rivers; Sewerage.; Tourism; Water

Partial Transcript: I know that some people have--you know I always ask, 'well, is there anything that you need that PRIDE hasn't been doing?'

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses how PRIDE helps even when they don't give the county the funding they asked for.

Keywords: Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE)

Subjects: Counties; Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Grants and funding; Lawrence County (Ky.); Meetings

Partial Transcript: So, do you think all your big dumps are pretty much cleaned up now?

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses the decrease in dumps in Lawrence County. Gauze also discusses the continued use of dumpsters and the issues with bulky items being put into the dumpsters.

Keywords: Dumps; Dumpsters; Furniture; Household appliances; Illegal dumps; Lumber; Salvation Army; Tires; Transfer stations

Subjects: Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Lawrence County (Ky.); Pollution.; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: Well is there anything about the PRIDE that, like I said I didn't have a sheet this time, is there anything I'm leaving out that you've done in the county?

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses how the growth of the county creates a need for a sewer system.

Keywords: Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Sewer lines; Sewers; Subdivisions

Subjects: Farms; Growth; Lawrence County (Ky.); Plumbing.; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Sewerage.; Water

Partial Transcript: I, I don't have a whole lot more to ask you then, I guess, unless, um, you know, you've, you've made a great case for PRIDE.

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses the difficult job of the solid waste manager and why the previous one resigned.

Keywords: Animal control officers; Duties; Jobs; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Solid waste managers

Subjects: Careers; Constables; Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Lawrence County (Ky.); Occupations

Partial Transcript: One thing I'm always curious about, you know, like 60 years ago, we didn't have much disposable waste and the people of Kentucky were good about reusing things, you know?

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses landfills that have been closed in the county. Gauze also discusses how people used to dispose of trash and why they chose to dispose of it that way.

Keywords: Creeks; Landfills; Reusing; Waste

Subjects: Asbestos; Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Lawrence County (Ky.); Pollution.; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: That's one thing I would like to see Lawrence County get.

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses his hopes that the county will be able to clean up the river that runs through it.

Keywords: Garbage; Jobs; River cleanups; Straight pipes; Trash

Subjects: Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Lawrence County (Ky.); Pollution.; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Rivers

Partial Transcript: And, um, I knew, when he was talking about that soil problem, the clay soil and the, I was thinking, I'd never heard of them before but the, the deputy judge down in Letcher was telling me about these, um, these peat traps.

Segment Synopsis: Gauze discusses different types of septic systems.

Keywords: Aerator systems; Peat traps; Septic systems

Subjects: Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Lawrence County (Ky.); Peat; Plumbing.; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Sewerage.

Partial Transcript: But I, I'm gonna ask about these, uh, river traps, 'cause I was down in Cumberland County--

Segment Synopsis: Gauze and Johnson discuss river traps to help fight pollution in rivers in Lawrence County.

Keywords: Counties; Creeks; River cleanups; River traps; Tires

Subjects: Environmental protection; Environmentalism; Lawrence County (Ky.); Pollution.; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Rivers; Water quality.