Letter to the Editor – Charlie McNair
Thomas Jefferson once said, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government. Whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.”
And that is where we are today. Things have gone so far wrong on this landfill issue that we, as residents of Alcorn County, feel compelled to set them right. Why? Because some of our supervisors – and I say ‘our’ because we elected them to represent ‘our’ best interests – appear to have disregarded a whole segment of our community and have refused to listen to our concerns about the proposed landfill site on Forrest School Road.
The road conditions alone should’ve been enough to stop the process, but add the traffic issues, its location in a residential area, the soil make-up, and the proximity to a large creek, and the reasonable person would deduce this location is a bad choice and would stop pursuing it. However, for no other reason than they own the land, our Board continues to force this bad decision upon us, leaving us no other choice but to try to set things ‘to rights’.
To do this, we have begun circulating a petition that would put restrictions on the location of new landfills in this county. We feel no one should have to face the worries our community has. Reasonable people know you shouldn’t place a new landfill within a residential area or near a church, school, or cemetery. Reasonable people know you shouldn’t place a new landfill where the road conditions won’t support it or you have no way to mitigate the traffic risks. But, since it appears reasonable people aren’t making reasonable decisions, we are forced to try and set things ‘to rights’ on behalf of all the people.
Over the next couple of weeks, someone may ask you to sign this petition. It states no new solid waste facility (landfill) should be placed within .5 mile of a home (unless the homeowner consents), a church, school, licensed nursing home or hospital, licensed day-care center or cemetery, or where the anticipated traffic creates a safety risk within 5 miles of the site. These are reasonable expectations for the placement of any new landfill and there are plenty of locations within this county that meet these requirements – if an effort is made to find them.
Thomas Jefferson also said, ‘Our principles are founded on the immovable basis of equal right and reason.’ Please sign this petition to help us rebalance rights and reason and ensure all communities have the right to choose NOT to live next to a landfill.
Charlie R. McNair
5 CR 716
Corinth, MS 38834
662-287-3066
Sign the Petition
Sign the petition, you can download it here or view and print here. If you would like one brought to you, click here and let us know. Mail printed petitions to Lisha Hopper, 30 CR 730, Corinth, MS 38834. Read about it in the Daily Corinthian.
So, what does the petition say?
To the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors
We, the residents of Alcorn County, oppose the future placement of a solid waste facility on Forrest School Road and in any area with the following limitations:
No new solid waste facility (landfill, rubbish site, land application site, outdoor processing facility or outdoor composting facility) should be located:
- Within .5 (half) mile of any home, unless the homeowner consents
- Within .5 (half) mile of a church, cemetery, school, licensed day-care center, licensed hospital or licensed nursing home
- Such that the anticipated traffic along the primary route to the facility will not significantly increase the safety risk within a 5 (five) mile radius of the disposal area of the facility
We feel the hazards associated with placing new solid waste facilities under these conditions unnecessarily risk the health and safety of Alcorn County residents and request the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors stop pursuing the placement of a solid waste facility at the proposed Forrest School Road site or any other new location with the above restrictions.
Why are we circulating this petition?
Our community is exploring every option possible to put limitations on the placement of garbage dumps in Alcorn County. The fact that the Forrest School Road location has been pursued when it has so many obvious drawbacks made us realize more structure is needed to protect not just us, but every homeowner and community in Alcorn County. If it can happen to us, it can happen to anyone.
Are these restrictions part of the existing environmental requirements?
If this were a commercial landfill operation, many of these limitations would already be in place – but because it is a county-owned site, the restrictions are less stringent – but the dangers are still the same.
What’s the goal of the petition?
We hope to get at least 500 signatures in the next couple of weeks. While that’s not the 25% of registered voters in Alcorn County necessary to warrant a referendum, we hope it’s enough to help the supervisors realize it’s not just a few ‘rabble rousers’ who don’t understand what’s going on. If it can happen to us, it can happen to anyone – and that’s just not right. The supervisors can ensure it doesn’t get placed by their home – the existing system doesn’t give us that luxury.
Doesn’t the landfill have to go in someone’s backyard?
Some of the supervisors took the stance that no one wants it in their backyard and that it’s got to go somewhere and that somewhere is probably going to be in someone’s backyard. Why? In a county as spacious as this, there are suitable places that won’t be in anyone’s backyard – but it will require effort to locate those sites – however, that extra effort today may save lives tomorrow.
If someone wants to sign the petition, who should they call?
They can call 662-287-4504 or go to www.Wenasoga.com and it will be available for them to download in the next couple of days. They can mail it back to 30 CR 730, Corinth, MS. We are also looking at other locations to put the petition. Let me stress that no donations are being asked for with the petition. We don’t want a scam artist to use the petition as an excuse to take people’s money.
What’s the name of the group circulating the petition?
We’re a group of concerned citizens from across our community. We don’t even have a name. We’ve been doing what people from small communities have done for hundreds of years. We get together at each other’s houses or the volunteer fire department. We call each other on the phone and ask that person to call someone else. We look out for each other when we’re not sure if anyone else is. Those conversations led us to believe we needed to do something to ensure no one has to worry about this. Americans have been petitioning their government since before the Revolutionary War. We just felt it was the right thing to do – to protect us as well as others. We can always get a name later.
Community Meeting – June 21 at 5:00 pm – Wenasoga Fire Department
Please make plans to attend the community meeting on Saturday,June 21 at 5:00 pm at the Wenasoga Fire Department to discuss the proposed landfill site at Forrest School Road.
Residents will give an update on the proposed site and discuss and prepare for the upcoming petition drive. The environmental, economic, and safety impacts associated with this site and any site with these types of limitations have been discussed with county leadership, but your input and help is needed. The proposed Forrest School Road site will negatively impact everyone in Alcorn County due to the distance, cost, road conditions, and traffic involved. It will impact those who live in the vicinity due to the possible contamination of groundwater, litter, and safety risks involved. If it happens to us, it can happen to anyone!
Our small community has had to organize and research the issues surrounding this. We’ve spent time, money, and every hour since the announcement worrying about our ability to live around an environmental time-bomb. Landfills don’t belong beside homes, churches, schools, or cemeteries.
If you can’t attend the meeting, please offer to help. Petitions will be circulated calling for restrictions on placing landfills in communities. Demand that your supervisor enact these restrictions to protect all communities in Alcorn County. Landfills shouldn’t be placed in anyone’s backyard!
IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND, YOU CAN STILL HELP.
SIGN THE PETITION! CALL YOUR SUPERVISOR!
Unanswered Questions (and some with ridiculous answers)
Questions/Answers from Board of Supervisor Meeting
1. Are there any other locations being looked at to determine best location for a landfill?
•Supervisor’s Answer) We don’t have enough time or money to purchase other land.
2. Couldn’t this land be sold and the money used to buy more suitable land?
•Supervisor’s Answer) This land is not for sale.
3. What are other options or plans?
•Supervisor’s Answer) No other option has been looked at and there are no other plans.
4. Are there any figures (budgets) that show how much this is going to cost?
•Supervisor’s Answer) No
Additional Questions we don’t have answers to……
- The supervisors have known there was a problem at the current landfill for six months. Why hasn’t there been a study or plan to resolve those issues?
- Why did the supervisors not look for the best location – one that would be more beneficial to all the citizens of Alcorn County?
- Why has a cost study not been done to determine the best solution?
- Why is there no back-up plan?
- How will the cemetery be protected?
The taxpayer’s money – our money- is being used to finance this and it is an issue that concerns all Alcorn County citizens. This decision will affect this county for the next 20 years or the life of this landfill and should not be taken lightly. Every person in this county will be affected in one way or another.
Definition of Class I Rubbish
Recent language of the Board of Supervisors has shown vague and misleading ideas of what exactly will be dumped into the proposed landfill.
Here is the definition of Class I Rubbish by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality:
1. Construction & demolition debris, such as wood, metal, etc
2. Brick, mortar, concrete, stone, and asphalt
3. Cardboard boxes
4. Natural vegetation, such as tree limbs, stumps, and leaves
5. Appliances (other refrigerators and air conditioners) which have had the motor removed
6. Furniture
7. Plastic, glass, crockery and metal, except containers
8. Sawdust, wood shavings, and wood chips
9. Other similar wastes specifically approved by the department
Ways to Act
Here are some quick ways you can help stop the landfill:
- Contact the Daily Corinthian Sound Off phone line at 662-287-0224, email at soundoff@dailycorinthian.com, or submit online here.
- Send Letters to the Editor at Daily Corinthian, P.O. Box 1800, Corinth, MS. 38834 or e-mail to letters@dailycorinthian.com
- Send Letters to Editor at Tupelo Daily Journal to Post Office Box 909, Tupelo, Mississippi 38802-0909
Contact the Board of Supervisors at:
Gary Ross – 662-287-4317
Keith Fields – 662-287-7807
Jeff Patterson – 662-286-6451
Jeff Rencher – 662-462-5831
Jimmy Tate Waldon – 662-287-2671
Let them know you have no intention of driving all the way out to Wenasoga to dump your garbage and if they have any intention of keeping their jobs, they won’t try to make you.
Post to our Blog and our Forum at http://www.Wenasoga.com
Letter to the Editor of the Daily Corinthian
Letter to the Editor
It was surprising to see the front page story (of the 6/14/2008 Daily Corinthian) on the soil tests for the proposed landfill site on Forrest School Road since the residents were told the results wouldn’t be back for at least 10 more days. It is also very interesting the proposed landfill site supposedly passed the geological tests when soil maps from the National Resource and Conservation Service (NRCS) and qualified soil scientists who were consulted about the site indicate the soil has limited to poor capability for landfills. Did the soil samples taken indicate the site has six different types of soil, some that have rapid permeability, making it a hazard for landfill placement?
To expand on the statements from the board meeting – One boring at 35 feet does not mean 30 acres are suitable for a landfill and areas where water was reached in only 13 feet, when excavated for garbage burial, will almost certainly allow runoff to reach the water table, opening the possibility of groundwater contamination. The presence of clay soil does not mean it’s deep enough to prevent garbage residue from leaching into the groundwater or that it meets permeability restrictions. Where do the soil tests demonstrate all 30 acres will meet the liner and depth to groundwater requirements?
The site has extremely steep slopes. How will you put a landfill in the side of a hill? Add the slope to the drainage issues, liner restrictions, and the site’s inclusion in the 100 year floodplain and the indications are that garbage may not be able to be safely dumped there without endangering the groundwater and the families who live within the vicinity and downstream of the landfill. How will the supervisors protect them from the many environmental dangers associated with this site?
The supervisors have also not told Alcorn County citizens how much it will cost to build the landfill in this location? At each board meeting, the supervisors have indicated the county will have financial difficulties meeting the obligations of road repairs, the Kimberly-Clark access road, and the new regional jail. Landfills are expensive to construct, if built to meet the safety standards required by law. Where will this money come from? Most landfills meet the construction costs by taking garbage from other counties. Will Alcorn County become a dumpsite for other counties or states like Walnut?
How will the supervisors ensure the safety of the local residents? No response has been made to indicate how they will make the roads safer or protect residents from the traffic issues related to this site. Bringing the roads up to the necessary weight bearing and safety standards will also require taxpayer dollars. Where will the money come from? Will they raise taxes? Or will they have a reckless disregard for the safety of our community? They have been publicly and privately warned of the safety risks involved. Where is their responsibility to provide for the safety of all Alcorn County citizens?
This is an Alcorn County problem and it will cost the Alcorn County taxpayers unnecessary tax dollars when there are other sites available that don’t have the negative environmental and economic consequences.
Even more importantly, unless the safety issues are adequately addressed, it may end up costing the lives of those who live or drive by the proposed site. Again, we ask Gary, Keith, Jeff R., Jeff P, and Jimmy Tate to look at the faces of your constituents and ask yourself if you are willing to risk their lives for a piece of trash? We ask the people of Alcorn County to ask your supervisor if he has weighed these risks and if he truly believes this is the safest, most cost effective decision for Alcorn County?
Lisha Hinton Hopper
Community Meeting Recap
There was a community meeting at the Wenasoga Volunteer Fire Dept on Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 6 p.m. to discuss the landfill. Get a recap in the Tupelo Daily Journal here or the Daily Corinthian here.
PROPOSED LANDFILL SITE WILL AFFECT YOU!
There will be a meeting about the proposed Forrest School Road Landfill site on Thursday, May 29 at 6:00 pm at the Wenasoga Fire Department.
Community members plan to discuss how the proposed site will negatively impact everyone in Alcorn County due to the distance, road conditions, and cost involved.
Many people in Alcorn County will have to drive over 20 miles one way to reach this site. With today’s gas prices, this will force people to find alternate locations to dispose of their garbage, increasing the amount of illegal dumping – possibly in your neighborhood.
Those that do choose to haul their garbage to the site will drive over roads that were not designed for heavy garbage trucks or the estimated 9,000 additional vehicles making trips into the site. It will impact you!
Community input from everyone in Alcorn County is needed to discuss options and alternatives to placing it in this site.
For more information, call 287-4504 or 643-9678.
Additional information is also available at the Tupelo Daily Journal.
