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Gayle Wilson said that staff is mindful of the social issues, but there is no evidence that <br />the landfill has depressed property values. Also, the landfill has provided a fairly important <br />neighborhood benefit, which is the Greene Tract. <br />Rod Visser said that the staff has learned a lot in the last $-10 years on how to work with <br />the neighbors. The Board has been very consistent in insisting that staff work carefully with <br />neighbors to get input. There are two members of the SWAB that are landfill neighbors, and <br />they have brought a useful perspective. <br />Commissioner Carey said that he is not ready to make a decision tonight to put the <br />transfer station at Eubanks Road. He understands all of the advantages and the timing issue, <br />but he is still not convinced that it should be put here. <br />Commissioner Foushee asked if the SWAB has had any discussion with the <br />neighborhood about this issue and if there is a general feeling about how neighbors might feel <br />about the possibility of a transfer station being sited at this location. Jan Sassaman said that <br />there are two members that are neighbors and are active participants. There has not been a <br />specific public meeting. He thinks that until this time, to do so would be precipitous. <br />Gayle Wilson said that he has had a good deal of conversation with Bonnie Norwood, <br />one of the neighbors that is a SWAB member, who told him that it has been known that a <br />transfer station would go there ever since the landfill site search process ended. That does not <br />mean that the neighbors want it. He would be glad to have the SWAB host a community <br />meeting. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she is also concerned about the equity issues. She <br />asked if the two members that are neighbors voted for this recommendation. Jan Sassaman <br />said that it was a unanimous vote of those that were at the meeting. He did not recall if those <br />two members were present. He said that the SWAB is also concerned with the equity issues <br />and it has wrestled with these issues since the inception of the SWAB. <br />Chair Jacobs suggested putting this on the agenda for November 14th and directing the <br />SWAB and the Solid Waste staff to hold a public meeting. He said to make sure that it is not on <br />a Wednesday night because a lot of the community goes to the church on Wednesday nights. <br />Commissioner Gordon would like to know what the municipal partners think. <br />Gayle Wilson said that on October10th, he and Blair Pollock went to speak to the <br />Carrboro Board of Aldermen and it has some of the same concerns. <br />Blair Pollock said that for every SWAB meeting, there is a mailing that goes to 11 key <br />members of the community. <br />Chair Jacobs said that the three different options are to locate the site at Eubanks Road, <br />to direct the staff to look for another site, or to direct staff to have a public meeting in the <br />neighborhood with direction from the Board as to the parameters of the presentation. He added <br />that there be a very aggressive solicitation of participation of people in the community. These <br />options would be brought back on November 14tH <br />Commissioner Carey asked if Durham was to be taken off the table. Commissioner <br />Gordon would rather make a decision on the 14th. Chair Jacobs has no problem taking it off the <br />table. <br />b) Solid Waste Management Plan Update <br />Blair Pollock spoke about the Solid Waste Management Plan Update. Attachment 2B <br />was related to this. He said that, because the waste reduction element has been predominant <br />in planning, they engaged a Solid Waste Plan Work Group with representatives from the SWAB, <br />each of the four governments, and the University's Solid Waste Division. There have been <br />several meetings and a consultant has been engaged to assist in technical analysis. The next <br />step is to hone the cost estimates to bring back a more refined version of options for solid waste <br />reduction. The plan is to bring the County Commissioners and the other municipal partners a <br />report through the work group that lays out the options and costs of expanding collections. <br />