As many residents will know, Almonte’s Al Potvin has for years encouraged people to drop off leaves at his property on the outskirts of town, where he converts them to compost. Al sells that to local residents who pay for it on the honour system, dropping cash into a donation box. All this money has gone to local charities over the years, most recently to the Hub Hospice.
So we were very discouraged to hear this tonight from Al’s wife Shirley Deugo:
“Twice last summer the money was stolen. To prevent this, Al purchased a $60 lock & Scott welded a steel cap over & around it so it couldn’t be cut. Yesterday the lock & money were taken. We know money was put into it at 11:30 am & at 8 pm it was not there. This is so disappointing.
“Recently, he has had abuse by some contributors, dropping their leaves, grass clippings & brush at the compost bin pickup area instead of placing their contributions on the leaf or burn pile. Unwanted items have also been tossed on the burn pile.”
‘Disappointing’ is scarcely the word for this abuse of our town’s usual kindness and cooperation. Let’s do what we can to ensure that Al and Shirley can continue to provide this invaluable service to our community.
