Orange County NC Website
But  government  officials  in  Chapel  Hill  still  could  not  find  another  place  for  the   <br />landfill,  and  tried  to  give  seven  of  the  “groundbreaker”  residents  access  to  public   <br />water  and  sewer  lines  as  a  temporary  fix  to  the  situation.  Even  as  the  town  tried  to   <br />rectify  the  situation,  some  residents  didn’t  think  forgiveness  was  in  order.   <br />“It’s  taking  advantage  of  those  who  don’t  have  as  much,”  said  gardener  and  long-­‐ <br />time  community  member  Marian  Peppers.  “Do  wrong;  be  afraid.  That’s  the  Bible.”   <br />A  complex  history  exists  behind  the  treatment  of  people  of  color  in  regards  to   <br />hazardous  waste  facilities.  According  to  a  2007  Toxic  Wastes  report,  people  of  color   <br />make  up  over  56  percent  of  the  residents  living  within  two  miles  of  these  areas.   <br />“It  goes  back  to  their  plan  —  it’s  a  steady  course,”  Peppers  said.  “We  knew  about  it   <br />before  the  battle  started.”   <br />   <br />The  Rogers  Road  Neighborhood  Task  Force  was  created  in  2012  in  order  to  make   <br />recommendations  to  the  Chapel  Hill  Town  Council  for  improvements  around  the   <br />neighborhood.  According  to  its  website,  members  pushed  for  a  sewer  service  and  a   <br />safer  community  center.   <br />   <br />That  same  year,  the  existing  community  center  was  shut  down  by  the  Town  of   <br />Chapel  Hill  because  of  the  center’s  failure  to  comply  with  fire  and  safety  codes,  and   <br />its  lack  of  a  permit  to  use  a  house  as  a  community  center.   <br />   <br />In  the  meantime,  community  members  cited  that  the  Rogers  Road  area  was  still   <br />suffering  from  the  effects  of  the  landfill,  including  the  use  of  illegal  dumpsites  and   <br />contaminated  backyard  wells.   <br />   <br />In  2012,  the  Orange  County  Board  of  Commissioners  voted  to  close  the  landfill.  It   <br />was  officially  shut  down  in  June  of  2013.  The  15,000  tons  of  waste  generated  by  the   <br />county  is  now  directed  to  the  Waste  Disposal  and  Recycling  Center  in  Durham,   <br />which  costs  about  $3.5  million  more  annually,  the  Daily  Tar  Heel  reported.   <br />While  the  landfill  is  still  a  sore  spot  for  many  residents,  Campbell  believes  that   <br />educating  people  about  it  will  help  heal  the  community.   <br />   <br />“We  like  to  talk  about  the  history  of  the  Rogers  Road,  from  slavery  to  nowadays,  and   <br />the  transition,”  he  said.  “It’s  how  you  get  over  those  barriers  —  those  ‘isms  from   <br />yesterday.”   <br />   <br />After  the  landfill  was  shut  down,  RENA  was  awarded  $650,000  for  the  construction   <br />of  a  new  community  center.  It  opened  November  of  2014  on  the  100  block  of  Edgar   <br />St,  and  many  community  leaders  saw  it  as  a  fresh  start  in  the  Rogers  Road   <br />neighborhood.   <br />   <br />“It’s  ours,”  Peppers  said.  “It’s  a  place  where  we  can  hang  out  and  connect  with  each   <br />other.”   <br />