Compost Pile Full

VINCENNES, IND. (WTHI) -      A southern Indiana city is looking for funds to try and clean up a mounting pile of wood debris.

     Vincennes' compost pile has become such a popular public site that it is nearly full.

     Now the city is asking some other agencies for help to get the mountain of old trees and limbs cleaned up.

     On a lot on the northwest side of Vincennes sits the city's compost pile.

     It holds 5 years of Christmas trees past, a half decade of storm damage and yard waste that residents have put there, covering the multi-acre area until now the city has to take on its own version of pick-up-sticks.

     "It's open to the public so that they can take their limbs and brush out there," said Vincennes Mayor Joe Yochum, "and I know there's county residents that use it.  It's to the point where we've go to look at doing something."

     Officials estimate it will cost at least $100,000 to grind all of the stuff down and haul it off and that's why the city is looking for help to take care of the problem.

     "We don't have that kind of money laying around so that's why we're looking for help," said Yochum, "and hopefully the 3 of us, the city, county and solid waste together can come up with the funds to clean it up."

     Even if the city can get the collection of stumps and limbs and mounds of debris under control and out of there the mayor hopes they can also come up with a way to keep the place from filling right back up again.

     "Hopefully , we'll get something in place that once we get it cleaned up this time we can keep it cleaned up," he said.

    Something that will make future versions of clearing the place less costly and more manageable.

     Even with the spring storm season approaching officials say they do not expect to begin work on the piles until sometime this summer.