December 31, 2004

Back to the Table of Contents Page

Back to the Weekly Home Page

Classifieds

Publication Date: Friday, December 31, 2004

Scouts vie to pick up Christmas trees

Residents have several options this year to recycle their Christmas trees. Two Boy Scout troops are competing for the honors - and the donations - with a Jan. 8 pickup, and Pleasanton Garbage Service will pick them up the following Saturday, Jan. 15, as part of its service.

"They can't do it all," said Bob Molinaro of Pleasanton Garbage. "Probably we get about 10 tons, around 15,000 trees."

Troop 943 has had the Pleasanton market for tree pickup for 14 years. It requests donations of $5-$10, although some people with "gigantic" trees give $20, said Troop Master Phil Surrena. The money goes into accounts for the individual Scouts according to the hours they spend on the project, he said, and it pays for summer camps and other activities.

"After 14 years of doing it, some boys in the troop have come to depend on it," said Surrena. "It's tough when someone jumps in on it."

He said he first heard about Troop 941's efforts when its members passed out fliers during the Scout food collection in late October. He added that contact was made with Troop 941 with the idea of talking about the best way to divide the project but the other troop declined.

"They should have talked to us and taken a different part of town," he said.

But Don Deeds, assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 941, says his group has been trying to work with Troop 943 on the project for two years but its leaders were not receptive.

"I've been beating down their doors," he said. "I got hold of their committee chair. She said, 'You guys do yours and we'll do ours. We have our own database.' I was very disappointed, I tried to work with them."

"In Livermore it's a community-wide event," he noted. "All the Boy Scout troops participate. They get all the calls into a central location, it's a very coordinated effort."

He also said that Pleasanton has too many customers for one troop to handle. "The Livermore troops are starting to come into Pleasanton because there was only one troop here," he said. "They're trying to do a Tri-Valley thing."

Surrena said that 14 years ago, his Troop 943 would also pick up trees in Dublin, but as Pleasanton grew, another troop took over that area.

Ginger Railey, who lives on Stoneridge Drive, is upset that another troop is cutting into Troop 943's fundraiser.

"Troop 941 has printed up fliers and canvassed neighborhoods proclaiming this to be their 'annual' fundraiser," she said. "Customers of Troop 943 will be misled by this flier and contact Troop 941, not knowing any difference."

Railey said she is not affiliated with Troop 943 but has done fundraising with her own interest groups and understands the impact of another troop participating.

"This is wrong and this troop should be ashamed of themselves and the tactics they teach their Scouts," she said.

But Troop 941 leader Deeds said there are plenty of trees to go around and he would like to coordinate with Troop 943. "One of their assistant Scout masters stood up (at a meeting) and said, 'Our troop does this fundraiser' and said they were looking for people to help them out," he said. "I was flabbergasted. I've tried to work with them two years in a row."

Pleasanton Garbage gives all the Scout troops free access to its facilities to dump the trees. Residents also can bring their trees to the Transfer Station at 3110 Busch Road free of charge until Feb. 1.
Support the Scouts

For Christmas tree pickup Jan. 8, contact: ¥ Boy Scout Troop 941: 485-4383 or e-mail troop941@comcast.net ¥ Boy Scout Troop 943: 417-5019 or e-mail treepickup@troop943.org A $5 or $10 donation is requested.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.