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hope this `idea' has a short life. However, should it remain alive, then we hope and expect a <br /> more direct and productive communication channel." <br /> Mindy Grossman read her husband, Jan Grossman's, comments. <br /> "I served on the Town Operations Center Advisory Committee during the siting, <br /> planning, and building stages of the facility. One of the major issues with neighbors about this <br /> property was use of that triangular piece of land in the rural buffer north of the stream. <br /> Neighbors were concerned that the city would try to use the piece of land for building <br /> additional Public Works buildings and an animal shelter or a homeless shelter. At several <br /> meetings, the city pledged that it would never build on that piece of land and that they would <br /> use it solely for storage of brush during hours that the landfill was not open and abandoned <br /> cars that they were going to sell. The city claimed that this site would be regularly cleared of <br /> the trash and cars and that they wouldn't let it become a dump. Neighbors asked for the <br /> promise in writing. The city did not comply. Neighbors asked for the minutes of the meeting to <br /> be made public. The city never wrote or published them. Another promise made at these <br /> meetings by the city to the neighbors was that no buses or trucks would travel on Millhouse <br /> Road north of the operations center. They claimed that all traffic would go south. Now buses <br /> regularly travel north at the center on the unimproved, windy road that passes by a school. <br /> When I asked again about this, the city said that they made no such promise. The minutes of <br /> the advisory board meeting would show otherwise, but they do not exist. Now I understand <br /> that the county/city is considering this site for a potential home of the Waste Transfer Station. <br /> And why not? The neighbors seem to have reasonably adjusted to the two landfills, the solid <br /> waste convenience center, the public works, the transportation department, the park and ride, <br /> and the animal shelter. Did someone say this area was rural buffer? Thank you for your <br /> attention and your time." <br /> Cornelius Kirschner said that last Thursday he gave the County Commissioners a <br /> blurb concerning this new development and he also emailed the County Commissioners. <br /> When he came to the meeting on Thursday, he realized that there were new faces and that <br /> some history might be helpful. He wrote another blurb and wanted to read it into the record. <br /> He said that he has been a resident since 1971 before the existing landfills, so he knows all of <br /> the history. <br /> "As a result of the Town of Chapel Hill locating its Town Operations Center on <br /> Millhouse Road, the residents on Millhouse Road have experienced a considerable increase in <br /> traffic on our country road. The non-upgraded part goes from the Town Operations Center <br /> north to Allen and Sons Barbecue on NC 86. I contacted the State Highway Patrol to help with <br /> the speeding problem, and at that time they responded that they could do nothing since the <br /> whole road, both the upgraded part to the south and the old road to the north, was not posted <br /> at all for speed limit. Thus, the speed limit was simply 55 miles per hour, even though directly <br /> in front of my property, the cautionary speed limit with yellow signs is posted at 20 miles per <br /> hour. The State Patrol said I could petition the State Highway Department to have the road <br /> posted at a lower speed limit. I did this. I secured signatures of the property owners here on <br /> Millhouse Road and asked that the speed limit be reduced to 25 miles per hour. The State <br /> was very prompt in their response and within a week of receiving the petition, engineers were <br /> out there, and in the second week the speed limit signs were put up. The State posted the old <br /> road, our section, for 30 miles per hour, and the upgraded section at 40 miles per hour. I also <br /> tried to have the State restrict trucks from using this portion of Millhouse Road. However, <br /> under current rules, they could not restrict such vehicles since it is a State road. I tried many <br /> times with different offices, but always the same response, the road is dangerous, but the <br /> State could not restrict trucks. The simple reason the State acted so quickly is that they <br />