Minutes - 20080211 - Transfer Station

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Yonnie Chapman said that he finds this discussion of technical and exclusionary criteria to be not to the point, and these are things that anyone deciding on a facility would need to discuss. He said that the Board has expressed very strongly the desire for public input, and this was not evident in the March decision. He said that there was not any place for public shaping of the process. He said that the Coalition to End Environmental Racism has called for public participation in the form of a citizen advisory board that would meet as equals with other partners. He said that social injustice should be at the beginning of the process. He said that, at the same time the Board is calling for public comment, there has been a tremendous amount of public comment on the issue of environmental injustice, and the Board has refused to talk about this. He finds this insulting and disheartening. He asked the Board to reconsider discussing this. Robert Campbell said that if there are going to be public meetings, then the residents need to be polled to help determine the time of the meetings. He said that the meetings should not be when everyone is at work. He recommends that for any site that is near any water source, that the water should be tested before construction starts, during construction, and after construction. He said that water contamination from construction happens and this should be part of the criteria. He said that in order for a decision to be true, public input should shape and be a part of the selection process. Dara Mendez said that she is a concerned citizen of Chapel Hill, a graduate of UNC-CH in Public Health, and a member of the Sierra Club. She said that she is concerned about the current process of locating the transfer station in Orange County. She said that her first concern is the issue of community input and public participation. She said that most public input on this issue is minimized to 15 minutes at the end of a meeting. She said that this format does not allow for dialogue and discussion. The public comment meetings occur after critical decisions have already been made. She said that she appreciates the resolution for public participation; however, the suggestion for an advisory panel is not fully realized in the resolution or timeline. Her second concern relates to the criteria. The criteria has mention of plant life, but no mention of the adverse impacts on living, breathing humans. As a public health professional, she feels that this is an important issue. She asked the following questions: 1) In what ways will the disproportionate burden on the Rogers Road community be reflected in the criteria as well as the weighting factor? 2) How can this process bridge what seems to be a gap in discussion and community participation? 3) What algorithm would be used, if any, in deciding what weighting factors are going into this process? Chris Heaney said that it becomes evident that this is a difficult and technical process and the Board of County Commissioners are not entirely certain about the best way to go through this. He made reference to the issue of zoning and not going outside the extraterritorial jurisdiction and asked if this also means outside of the joint planning agreement. He said that the residents are confused and do not know what is going on. He said that these discussions need to happen in a more equitable, interactive way. He suggested having an advisory board of residents that have been disproportionately affected for over 35 years, and also of residents from other parts of the County where other sites might be selected. 7. Further Comment, Direction, and Feedback as desired by the Board to Diver, Inc and/or County Manaqement Commissioner Gordon asked Geof Gledhill to explain his stance on the administrative complaint and Geof Gledhill said that there has been a Title VI complaint filed alleging discrimination because of the history of solid waste activities in the Rogers Road community. He said that Title VI is federal law, which provides for administrative remedies, provides for the