Board discusses appeal of landfill growth
The Times-Reporter
BOLIVAR - No action was taken regarding an appeal of expansion at Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility after a 50-minute executive session by the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint solid Waste Management District board of directors.
After Friday’s meeting, Kerry Metzger, board chairman and a Tuscarawas County commissioner, said no decision was made whether to appeal the June 27 decision by the Ohio Environmental Review Appeals Commission to grant the 170-acre expansion at the landfill in Pike Township of Stark County.
“Legal counsel basically just gave us information and if we have a basis for appeal,”Metzger said, “It was not fair to make a decision before reviewing the information.
“I am very disappointed that ERAC wouldn’t look at the new information submitted since the appeal was filed in 2003. There have been a lot of changes at Countywide since then and the commission would not take into consideration the aluminum dross, the subsidence or the odor issue. They wouldn’t utilize the new information. The board of directors has always felt that it is money well spent if we can make it a safer landfill.”
In other matters Friday, newly appointed Stark County Commissioner Tom Harmon found a busy agenda during his first district board meeting. Stark County Commissioner Jane Vignos asked board members to reconsider their vote from the June meeting for road repairs to haul roads around Countywide. Board members again, Friday, voted to deny the funds.
Wayne County Commissioner Scott Wiggam changed his vote to a “no.” In June, he was for the proposal. Harmon, Vignos and Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley and Wayne County Commissioner Ann Obrecht voted yes, while Tuscarawas County Commissioners Metzger, Jim Seldenright and Chris Abbuhl, along with Wiggam, voted “no.” The 4-4 tie meant defeat for the issue. Wayne County Commissioner Cheryl Noah was absent Friday.
Wiggam said if the landfill committee can get a road repair plan into place by September he would agree to wait on that before voting to give funds to Stark County.
Bosley said the haul roads are much worse and are deteriorating rapidly.
Stark County Engineer Mike Rehfus asked the board in May for $147,756 to repair roads around Countywide. He returned in June with information about the history of the agreement between the board and Stark County. The roads the trash haulers use are Fohl Rd., Gracemont St., Sherman Church Rd. and Dueber Ave.
Metzger said the landfill committee is working on a policy for road repairs. Other landfill committee members are Noah and Vignos.
“The Tuscarawas County commissioners are not opposed to repairing those roads, but we want a policy in place before the funds are approved,” Metzger said. “If Rehfus wants to repair the roads now, we can look at a reimbursement policy to give the funds back once a road repair plan is in place. We hope to have a policy in place by September. In the past, we put the cart before the horse, and we need to be better stewards of the money.”
Vignos said the repair plan could take several months to get into place and the roads are in need of repairs “now.”
When the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency wrote the new solid waste plan, tipping fees to repair roads were not included. Metzger said he hopes OEPA will amend the plan so repairs can be made from the tipping fees.
Metzger said the landfill committee wants the hauling roads and criteria to the landfills in the district defined; a road maintenance schedule; specific road improvements; to create a partnership for repairs with the townships and landfills; and to develop an incentive program and put a cap on road repair expenses. The committee will meet this month.
Tim Vandersall, general manager of Countywide, said the district has a history of funding road repairs around landfills. He said Countywide pays more than $2 million to the district in tipping fees each year, and that Ohio House Bill 592 states funds can be used to defray cost of maintaining roads near a solid waste facility in the district.
“The roads in question are used daily by residents and business vehicles. Forcing load reductions is not the answer as it will lead to a larger volume of truck traffic and asking Countywide to pay more, in additional to the $2 million for these purposes is also unfair,” Vandersall wrote in a letter to the board. “(Countywide) has agreed to provide $15 million for construction of a highway ramp (off I-77), which again would benefit the entire community.”
