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24 compassion. She said that representatives of OCOC are here tonight to urge the Board of County Commissioners to become a more proactive partner in the search for a long-term solution to Orange County's waste disposal problem that will truly reflect the values of a diverse community that the County Commissioners represent. She said that OCOC does not feel that there is a viable solution with either the Millhouse Road or the Hwy 54 site. She said that governments all over the country are dealing with the problem of what to do with trash. She commended the Solid Waste department for innovative programs that reduce trash in the landfill, which has extended the life of the landfill. She said that there is now an extra year before the landfill will close. She urged the County Commissioners to use this gift of time to think about long-term and strategic ways to find a solution to the waste in Orange County. Kathy Kaufman also spoke for Orange County Organizing Committee. She said that OCOC urges the County Commissioners to reexamine the assumption that building a transfer station is the best long-term solution to dealing with waste. She asked the Board to look again at possible partnerships with Durham and Chatham Counties, or other partners including UNC and Carolina North. The County Commissioners should resist the temptation to back track on the commitment made to the Rogers Road community and to split hairs on whether the Millhouse Road site is in their neighborhood. Robert Long lives 2,000 feet from the proposed site. He invited everyone in the audience that supports taking Millhouse Road off the discussion list to stand. He said that the Millhouse Road neighborhood has been historically linked to the Eubanks Road and Rogers Road communities for generations prior to the construction of the current landfill. Prior to the landfill, there was no physical division between these neighborhoods. He said that there are 50 families that live between the two railroad crossings on Millhouse Road. He said that there are people here that were part of the landfill protest 30 years ago. He said that there was a promise that the landfill would be closed in the mid-1990's and it is still in operation. The neighborhood was also told that there would be no increase in traffic from the Town Operations Center, but the traffic continues to increase. The neighborhood was also told that the northern portion of the Town Operations Center site would be used for a park and walking trails, and now it is being considered as a solid waste transfer center. He asked the Board to consider the situation more fully. Jamie Cox is an attorney in Raleigh and a resident of Hillsborough. He represents property owners on Millhouse Road, considered the Greater Rogers Road Community. He said that he is disappointed that he has to speak to the Board about this because he thought that this was taken care of and that this site was out of consideration. He spoke about the technical issues that were glossed over in the consultant's report. He said that the rating for this site is either incorrect, arbitrary, or intentionally misleading. He said that he was alarmed that the environmental justice issue, which the County reports to be of primary concern with respect to this site selection process, was scarcely mentioned in the report at all. He said that whether or not this site is within the Rogers Road area is irrelevant because the law requires the County to look at the impact of the proposed transfer station. This impact will unquestionably be negative to the Rogers Road community. He said that there is also no mention of the rural buffer and the effects of this facility on the rural buffer. This type of industrial use is inappropriate in the rural buffer. He said that the pressing thing