Landfill talks continue

Opponents of the proposed expansion to the Orleans County Landfill, Waste Management officials and representatives from the County Planning Board met March 20 to rehash landfill topics.

Officials from Waste Management tried to make their case with officials for the proposed 76-acre landfill. Members of Stop Polluting Orleans County say that the landfill will be a detriment to the community's character and would expose residents to dangerous trucks and noise.

The proposed landfill would be adjacent to Transit Road, between the existing Orleans Sanitary Landfill and the McKenna Landfill. "Densmore Road and Route 31 would be the main intersection for the truck traffic," Kevin Bernstein, a Waste Management attorney said. Expansion would be divided into eight cells and the site would receive an average of 1,800 tons of waste per day and about 500,000 tons per year.

Bernstein addressed concerns with a traffic study that was completed in 1995. Although the study was completed in 1995, the Department of Transportation approved the study in 1999 and accounted for the county's growth within that study. "Our vehicles will be moving slowly when they pass in front of the schools because it is a 30 mile per hour zone," he said. Albion School Board President Michael Bonafede said that it would be a "lethal combination" to have 150 landfill trucks and school children getting on and off buses.

"I'd like to know how a 200 foot tall pile of garbage is supposed to enhance travel and visitors along the historic Erie Canal," planning board member Marty Busch, of Medina said. "How did a project like this get to be sited along the canal?"

Waste Management officials had an opportunity to speak and make a presentation to board members and more than 100 residents before the public comment portion of the meeting was opened.

Marge Applegate read a letter from her husband, Charlie, that stated "that while Waste Management may be able to exercise control over their dump, they have little control over their haulers. Haulers have been known to hide hazardous waste in the middle of a load to keep it from being discovered. They have also been known to speed and run stop signs to avoid shifting."

Gary Kent, a representative of the Albion Betterment Committee, said the landfill would hurt the county as a destination for sportsmen and nature enthusiasts. "Protecting the image of the county would be next to impossible to do with a landfill," Kent said. "The community can't take another hit like this."

Waste Management offered a host community benefits plan that would give an annual donation to the Albion Fire Department and offer a deal on local trash pickup and give the town a cut on tipping fees at the landfill. Mitigation plans and landscaping plans are also part of the proposal.

The County Planning Board met March 27 at the Orleans County Courthouse to make their recommendation on the project. On March 19, the Town of Albion Planning Board opposed the project.