Agenda - 09-30-1998 - Additional Information

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Margaret Brown Page '7 Three potential sites are before the Landfill Owners Group now: a) an extension of the present C&D site onto land owned primarily by Ms. Blackwood, b) the Greene tract, and 3) a site within 2 miles of the present landfill whose owner wishes to keep the location confidential. a) The Blackwood site would be the most efficient and economical to operate, because it would be an extension of present operations. The same scales, equipment, access road and supervision could continue to be used. No land would need to be acquired for a buffer where it adjoins the present landfill. However, it would come close to the home of Ms. Blackwood and of Mr. Nunn, and Ms. Blackwood has recently repeated her refusal to sell her land for use as a landfill. b) The Greene tract would have the lowest acquisition costs: it is presently owned by the three landfill partners. It could use the same scales, equipment and supervision. However, it is surrounded by developed neighborhoods. The Landfill Owners Group unanimously adopted a resolution on February 18 recommending to the governing boards that the Greene tract not be used for a C&D landfill, a materials recovery facility or a transfer station. And, we believe that the land is too valuable to use this way, both in terms of the market price and in terms of the role it could play in creating a village center, a park, affordable housing, and/or other elements of the Council's vision for the northern part of our planning area. c) The third site has the advantages of being well- buffered from the closest house and being freely offered for sale. It is also close enough to the mixed solid waste landfill to minimize inconvenience to customers who have to be redirected to the C&D landfill, and close enough for supervision and some equipment to be shared. It is the only site found preliminarily to be suitable for a C&D landfill after a county wide search for land freely offered for sale. Its total price may be higher than we would expect to pay for the smaller parcels owned by Ms. Blackwood and an out of town owner, but we believe its isolation f Tom ne bbors and the bat that it is voluntarily offered for sale are worth the price. We discuss below how the acquisition of these sites could be financed. Acquire a site for a material recovery facility (N RF) now and proceed to plan and build it. Such a facility is necessary for a siggnificant increase in recycling and concomitant reduction in municipal solid waste going into the mixed solid waste landfill. The three parcels directly west of the current landfill property on the north side of Eubanks Road together make an excellent site. The power of eminent domain should be used if necessary. It would take about three years to design, permit and build a materials recovery facility, once the site has been acquired. Use the Landfill Fund reserves to fmance the acquisition of both sites. There is enough in reserve for the acquisition of sites for both a materials recovery facility and a C&D landfill, as well as for the development of the rest of the present mixed solid waste landfill and its closure. Attachment 5 includes tables detailing the present and projected status of the reserve funds ass mm that the recommended sites for the materials recovery facility and the C&D landfill are acquired in 1998 -99. ?. Conciude issues concerning governance. Lack of agreement on governance has made it difficult to make decisions effectively and in a timely manner. It has created unnecessary and time- consuming steps for all the elected officials to go through. Staffing these extra steps has taken time awav from the business of manaoinv the current operations.