Agenda - 10-11-1995 - Items 1 and 2 - Appendix 5

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APPENDIX 5 MEMORANDUM TO: Board of Aldermen Chapel Hill Town Council Orange County Board of Commissioners FROM: Gayle Wilson, Director, Solid Waste Management SUBJECT: Status of the Landfill Site Search DATE: October 11, 1995 The Orange County Landfill Owner's Group, representing the three governments; who together own the present landfill, initiated a public search for a new landfill by soliciting applications and appointing a Landfill Search Committee in March 1990. This committee of volunteers was to be an adjunct committee of the Landfill Owners Group. The Landfill Search Committee originally consisted of 13 citizen members: one from each of the seven townships, one appointed by each governing body and three at-large members selected by the Landfill Owner's Group. The committee was selected to represent the County both geographically and demographically. From the final recommended site(s), it was envisioned that the Landfill Owners Group would select one site and recommend its acquisition to the elected officials of the three governing boards. The three governments of the Landfill Owner's Group would then approve the site and pursue its acquisition, rezoning and permitting for a landfill. Prior to the appointment of the Landfill Search Committee, Joyce Engineering, Inc. of Greensboro, North Carolina, in conjunction with Bain Palmer & Associates, Inc. also of Greensboro, were selected through a competitive process to serve as technical consultants to the landfill search process. Joyce Engineering,working with the Landfill Owner's Group staff, established the scope of the site search study based on a framework of monthly Landfill Search Committee meetings and periodic public information meetings. The Landfill Search Committee held its first meeting on April 26, 1990 and has held a total of 29 meetings over a five-year period. All of these meetings were open to citizens and announced in advance. Six of these meetings were public input meetings which were announced with paid advertising and offered citizens an opportunity to ask questions,make comments and offer additional information. The Landfill Search Committee used a selection process that identified suitable landfill sites within the County. The process moved from the general to the specific with each step moving to more detailed research and analysis. The process was developed with input from the consultants and citizens and consisted of the following general steps: