Attend the second public hearing on December 15, 2008 at 6:00 pm

The Alcorn County Board of Supervisors are still planning to place a landfill on Forrest School Road in the Wenasoga Community. Because they did not follow correct procedures in the first public hearing, another public hearing must be held. This hearing will be held on Monday, December 15, 2008 at 6:00 pm in the upstairs courtroom in the Alcorn County Courthouse in Corinth, MS.  Please make plans to attend to let the supervisors know how damaging this landfill will be to our community.

Please print out this attachment (also located in the right sidebar) and complete it, then FAX and MAIL the completed form to Bobby Marolt, Alcorn County Chancery Clerk, the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors, and Paul Rhodes, Alcorn County Solid Waste Coordinator

at Fax: 662-286-7706

and mail to:

Bobby Marolt, Chancery Clerk

Alcorn County Board of Supervisors and

Paul Rhodes, Alcorn County Solid Waste Coordinator

P.O. Box 69

Corinth, Mississippi 38835

 

The fax may be busy. You may also have to dial a “1” first, depending on what area you’re making the call from. Please do not give up. Please cut and paste the document into the body of a letter, and then mail via the postal service to the address listed above before Wednesday, December 10, 2008.

 

After you have done this PLEASE forward this e-mail and attachment to all Alcorn County residents on your e-mail list and ask them to complete it and fax and mail it to Bobby Marolt, Chancery Clerk, the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors, and Paul Rhodes as soon as possible!

 

Please mark your calendar and make every effort to attend the public hearing on the landfill issue on Monday, December 15, 2008 at 6:00 pm at the upstairs courtroom in the Alcorn County Courthouse in Corinth, MS.

 

PLEASE FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO LIVES IN ALCORN COUNTY AND ASK THEM TO OPPOSE THE THIS LANDFILL SITE OR ANY PLACEMENT OF LANDFILLS NEAR HOMES!

 

To my supervisor - Mr. __________________________,

 

I am a resident of Alcorn County and I 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:

1)    Within .5 (half) mile of any home, unless the homeowner consents

2)    Within .5 (half) mile of a church, cemetery, school, licensed day-care center, licensed hospital or licensed nursing home

3)    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

 

I 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 that you, as a member of 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.

 

Rubbish landfills (construction debris landfills) can contain materials that pose a hazard to nearby residents. Hydrogen sulfide, mold, lead paint, asbestos, and mercury are all by-products of items disposed of in rubbish landfills and there should be greater restrictions on the location of their disposal sites than is currently allowed by law.

 

There should also be greater emphasis on traffic management and road conditions so that travelers and residents are not put in jeopardy due to the added traffic caused by the transportation of rubbish, garbage, or any solid waste to a landfill.

 

I also ask that a financial study be completed and published that examines all aspects of waste management in Alcorn County to determine the most cost-efficient method to manage the rising waste disposal costs.

 

I applaud all recycling efforts and encourage the supervisors to continue to pursue methods to reduce the waste that is placed in landfills. I feel placing a centrally located recycling facility in Alcorn County, perhaps near or in the industrial park, will encourage residents to join in this endeavor.

 

Please include this request in the minutes of the December 15, 2008 Public Hearing on the Alcorn County Solid Waste Management Plan.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Name____________________________

 

Address_____________________________

 

            _________________________

 

 

Letter to the Editor - December 4, 2008

There will be another public hearing on December 15 at 6:00 pm in the courtroom on the second floor of the Alcorn County courthouse about the proposed landfill on Forrest School Road. The supervisors are compelled to hold another public hearing because they did not follow the proper procedures for the last one.   

Like most of you, I have read the articles and letters to the editor aimed at persuading the public that the proposed landfill is harmless and that with recycling it will barely be used at all. While I applaud all recycling efforts, the hard facts are the statements made in the November 16 newspaper article do not represent what the board of supervisors are communicating to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) in their solid waste management plan, which is essentially their contract with the state on how they will dispose of garbage in Alcorn County. In reality, their plan calls for the Forrest School Road site to be both a construction debris landfill and a recycling/processing facility for the next 37 years.   

Let’s look at some other hard facts. According to that article they had 30-40 trucks on a Thursday bring garbage to the Farmington landfill. Imagine what Saturdays are like. As we’ve stated many times, one only has to look at the roads leading to the Forrest School Road site to know the inherent dangers with that kind of traffic.  

In almost all other states, ‘rubbish’ landfills are called construction debris landfills, which more accurately represent what they contain. To say there are no environmental hazards associated with them is not just inaccurate, it’s irresponsible - even the EPA and MDEQ won’t say that. If it’s so harmless, why are permits, liners, and compliance inspections required?   

Some of the supposedly harmless garbage placed in a ‘rubbish’ landfill includes decomposing sheetrock that creates hydrogen sulfide and mold, both known to have cancer links. Older homes, now being remodeled, can have wood and sheetrock painted with lead. Treated wood can have arsenic in it, shingles and insulation can contain asbestos, and fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury - all things that can end up in a ‘rubbish’ landfill. Then there are the underground fires that can burn for days with no way of knowing what toxins are being released in the smoke.

Just because government regulations allow something does not mean it will be okay. The current state of the economy is a good example of that. At some point, common sense must prevail and people must ultimately take a stand against what they know is wrong. History is full of environmental horror stories based on decisions made without all the facts – or in spite of them.   

Placing any type of landfill so close to homes is also irresponsible. Taking the attitude that it has to go in someone’s backyard lacks creativity and knowledge of the law. The state requires the county to make arrangements for the disposal of garbage. That can include contracting with another county to take it, which relieves this county of the liability and costs of opening and maintaining another landfill. Just because, legally, a landfill can be placed in your backyard, doesn’t make it the right thing to do or the only option to explore.  

If the traffic, environmental hazards, and proximity to homes aren’t enough, then chase the dollars. If recycling can and will be done as effectively as the board has stated, then why go to the expense of opening up another landfill? Comprehensive studies have shown that it would be much more cost-effective to recycle at Farmington or the transfer station and transport any remaining garbage to an out-of-county landfill. Waste management experts have indicated it can cost $100,000 or more an acre to open a construction debris landfill. Where will that money come from? The supervisors have stated in several articles that the current garbage costs in Alcorn County are almost a $1 million over budget. Money has been taken from the nursing home sale to balance this year’s budget and shore up next year’s. When that money runs out, will our taxes be raised again and/or will we be charged garbage fees to offset this deficit?   

Even holding additional public hearings must be done at considerable costs to you and me, the taxpayers of Alcorn County. Court reporter charges, as well as lawyer and engineering fees all come out of your pocket. Each time you’re told your road can’t be fixed or a local need can’t be fulfilled because of a lack of funds, ask how much money went to open this unneeded landfill? 

There are many other sound, logical reasons why this is a poor choice for Alcorn County. If you would like to hear them and are concerned about the location and cost of this landfill, please attend the public hearing on December 15. If you can’t attend, please submit written comments. A letter is also available on www.Wenasoga.com to use as a guide.

Quite simply, until the Forrest School Road site is no longer included in the board’s amended solid waste management plan, the fight isn’t over and our costs as taxpayers will continue to climb and our health and well-being will continue to be at risk.

Sincerely,

Lisha Hinton Hopper

 

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