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APPROVED <br /> center, just be aware that this group will not be the deciding group. So we have six people here <br /> to speak and each person will get 3 minutes. So first we have Susan Walsar followed by Mary <br /> Lawrence. <br /> Walsar says good evening. I had prepared comments about the solid waste vision for 2045, but <br /> I'm not going to do that because I'm just stunned at the zero-waste presentation. I am amazed <br /> at what you're thinking about, amazed at the cost increases, amazed at the plans, and totally <br /> amazed at the survey that was talked about. I've lived in the rural part of the county for 20 <br /> years and I'm really interested to see who got the survey. None of us here knew anything about <br /> the survey. The population in the county is 140,000, so 1% or less got the survey. I'd like to see <br /> what the actual county residents of the townships that surround the towns actually think about <br /> this because we don't agree with anything that you said on those slide presentations. Are you <br /> aware that Wake County charges households $20 a year for their programs and we're at $142 <br /> and you want to increase that. I want to thank Matt for commenting about the cost of this, this is <br /> crazy. I was going to talk about a presentation where you would think about reducing the cost of <br /> the program rather than increasing it, and taking funds and moving them out of solid waste <br /> department and moving them to the schools because the schools need it way more than solid <br /> waste department does. Back when the county was thinking about a transfer station out in rural <br /> county, I attended about a year's worth of SWAB meetings and all they thought about was the <br /> biggest equipment they could have at the best sites and spending money, money, money to the <br /> detriment of the costs of the town residents in our taxes, we don't want all this fancy stuff in the <br /> county. We are perfectly happy the way things are and you're going to hear that tonight. So <br /> please think about maybe this is good for the towns, maybe it's great for commercial stuff, but <br /> maybe there's two different needs in the county and you need to consider that. Thank you. <br /> Fowler says next up Mary Lawrence. <br /> Lawrence states I live at 9215 Charles Lane, and I have deep concerns for the proposal to build <br /> a waste and recycling center on Orange Grove Rd. Our home is the closest to the site. I am of <br /> course personally concerned about the noise, smells, traffic, and toxic runoff that would devalue <br /> our home, property, and quality of life. But it's more important to me to make sure that swag is <br /> aware this proposal carries significant environmental justice concerns. In 2010, our BOCC <br /> unanimously adopted a series of social justice goals, including the following statement: fair <br /> treatment means that no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative <br /> environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental, and commercial <br /> operations or policies. 70 homes are within 2000 feet of the proposed site. 35 homes are within <br /> 1000 feet. Of these 35 homes, 80% are within 1000 feet of another solid waste operation...the <br /> land application of biosolids by OWASA. 60% are mobile homes in the Bingham Woods <br /> community. 60% of those households are Hispanic or Latino. I have personally visited neighbors <br /> in Bingham Woods with a Spanish speaking friend, these families didn't receive any information <br /> from solid waste in Spanish. We've been translating material for them, and we've been speaking <br /> with them and like us, they don't want the proposed site. Unless us, they don't feel comfortable <br /> speaking with you. Anytime one community is asked to accommodate multiple waste <br /> management activities, questions of disproportionate burden should be asked. This is especially <br /> true if that community shares a specific demographic or socioeconomic trait. Why should our <br /> community be burdened with not one, but two potential sources of odors, noise, truck traffic, and <br /> contaminated runoff? We're requesting that SWAG advises Orange County solid waste to step <br /> back from this proposal and come up with a more equitable proposal that doesn't adversely <br /> impact residential communities. Thank you. <br /> Fowler states next is Joyce McGuire followed by Mary Bratsch-Hines. <br /> McGuire states me and my husband have lived in Orange County next to the OWASA property, <br /> down from the biohazard site for 35 years. I am a retired Chapel Hill Carrboro City School <br /> teacher, and I taught environmental science for many years. I used to take my 6th graders to the <br /> OWASA facilities and to many of the waste depository facilities so that they can learn the <br />