Strange items found in courthouse cistern
Ballots, car tags, syringes and parking meter among retrieved items
Staff reporter
Using a back hoe, Marion County Road and Bridge workers removed medical and miscellaneous waste from a cistern near the county courthouse.
David Brazil, county sanitarian, supervised the excavation per Kansas Department of Health and Environment's instructions.
The cistern was discovered in August by sheriff's office personnel who noticed the ground was caving in around it.
A 20-yard dumpster with a plastic liner was placed near the cistern to hold the dirt and debris. Hamm Landfill provided the dumpster and will dispose of the waste.
"The dumpster can be filled to about 5/8 full of dirt," said Brazil. "The landfill will follow a special process to dispose of it."
The material will be placed in a particular part of the landfill and its contents noted.
The 15-foot deep, 12-foot wide concrete cistern was used to store water drained from the courthouse and jail roofs. When that usage was terminated, it became a dumping ground.
Items noticed by workers and observers during the excavation included dozens of car tags dated between 1967 and 1972, men's clothing, a woman's shoe, a baseball bat, syrup bottle, election ballots and other documents, soda bottles, and of course hundreds of syringes.
The most notable item was a parking meter.
Once the excavation was completed, rock and dirt was used to fill the hole.
