Tripp officials, Amish work to keep horse droppings off streets

Talk about it

TRIPP — City officials in Tripp are optimistic they will be able to wash their hands of one of the city’s dirtier issues.

At the Dec. 5 Tripp City Council meeting, members of the Tripp Streets Committee reported they met in private last month with members of the nearby Amish community to discuss horse droppings littering city streets.

“Now that we’ve met, we’ll continue to work together on it,” said council member Dave Schreiner. “I think it’s just people talking with people, and I think if we can resolve it that way, that is in the city’s best interests and I’m sure the Amish would like to have it that way as well.”

The issue was brought to the city’s attention in October when a number of Tripp’s businesses complained about horse droppings being left on Tripp’s streets after the Amish came to town with horses and buggies. The Amish have only recently settled in the area.

Schreiner was optimistic the issue could be resolved without the council taking official action.

“The council is satisfied with where we’re at with it,” he said. “Through our discussions, they’ve talked about ways to take care of it, too, and they seem to be open to discussion and to continue talking.”

Schreiner said the Amish agreed to pick up whatever droppings they can, and be more aware of where they park their horses.

“The discussions were good and both sides had the chance to share some ideas, and now we have the chance to move on and just work together,” Schreiner said.

Jim Weber, of Weber’s Grocery and Hardware on Main Street in Tripp, has been working together with the Amish since the issue arose.

Weber said he has given boxes to a few Amish residents looking to clean up after their horses, and on occasion has covered horse droppings in front of his store with cat litter. He compared it to cleaning up the mess left by cars leaking oil or antifreeze.

“I like the people and we’re all friends,” Weber said of the Amish. “They know me by my first name and I get along with them. We’ve got to bend a little bit, and so do they.”

Though progress has been made, Schreiner said the city council will continue to monitor the situation.

“This could be something we reevaluate every two or three months,” he said. “The winter months could change things a lot.”

But for now, Schreiner said he remains hopeful the city will continue having open discussions with the nearby Amish population and resolve the issue without having to put an ordinance in place.

“Droppings, to me, are not a beautification. We want to keep Tripp as clean as we can,” Schreiner said. “We want to be presentable so people get a good opinion of Tripp, and the Amish seem to want that also.”

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