Changes are in the works for Buzzard Roost Road in western Limestone County, and the first step is a community volunteer cleanup effort being organized by Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful and the Limestone County Commission.

For decades, the area has been used as a dumping ground for a variety of large litter, from television sets and furniture to toilets and even a broken hot tub. Meanwhile, the road is in such disrepair that few vehicles can safely use it for its intended purpose — giving drivers a connection between Shoal Creek and Salem Minor Hill roads.

District 4 Commissioner LaDon Townsend said he hopes getting volunteers together for a cleanup event will allow him to not only get a road crew in to fix the road for traffic but have it good enough for litter crews and sheriff’s deputies to be able to patrol the area.

“This road has been a dump site for years, since I was a kid,” Townsend said. “It’s been kinda neglected. … There’s stuff in the creek, and it’s beginning to be an environmental issue.”

The cleanup event is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. Volunteers will meet at the intersection of Buzzard Roost and Shoal Creek roads. KALB will provide trash bags, litter grabbers and safety vests for volunteers, and Townsend said there will be mini-excavators, trailers and more to help load everything up and get it moved to a proper disposal site.

KALB Executive Director Leigh Patterson said she was surprised at the amount of trash that covered the sides of the road when she visited Buzzard Roost Road in December.

“I was unaware of just how that was out there,” Patterson said. “I’d honestly never been on that road. … It was one of the worst places I’ve seen as far as dump sites, and I know there are others scattered throughout the county.”

In fact, while taking The News Courier on a tour of the area Tuesday, Townsend was able to point out not just broken bottles and bags of trash, but even a bin where someone had emptied their freezer of old meat.

“It is a shame that people have treated that land that way, because it is a beautiful property,” Patterson said.

Volunteers can register to help restore the area by emailing KALBcares@gmail.com, calling 256-233-8000 or visiting the Buzzard Roost Cleanup event page on Facebook. Townsend said it’s possible multiple cleanup events will be needed, but when it’s all said and done, he wants to have crews grade the road to level it and use stockpiled millings from a previous project to provide a better driving surface for vehicles.

The single-lane road has two spots at which a creek runs over the road, and not every vehicle will be able to use Buzzard Roost even after it is cleaned up and fixed. However, Townsend hopes giving even a few more vehicles access — especially patrol vehicles — will deter criminals from using the area for illegal activity, including littering.

For those who wish to continue the county cleanup effort beyond Buzzard Roost, KALB has two events in store for later in the spring. The Limestone County Trash Attack is scheduled for March 6, and the next KALB hazardous household waste collection is April 10. Visit kalbcares.com to learn more as details are announced.