I just heard that the Orange County Board of Commissioners voted tonight to reopen the search for a place to put the new waste transfer station! (This wasn't even on their agenda.) They haven't agreed to exclude the Rogers/Eubanks area yet, but this is great progress.
Further discussion will be on their next agenda. Now is the time to show our appreciation to Moses, Mike, Barry, Valerie, and Alice for keeping an open mind, and keep the pressure on to make sure a NEW location is found.
Issues:
I was the founder, administrator, and chief editor of OrangePolitics until I retired from Orange County life in 2014.
OrangePolitics is a not-for-profit website for discussing progressive perspectives on politics, planning, and public policy in Orange County, NC. Opinions are those of their authors. Learn more.
By using this site, you agree to our community guidelines. Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will result in moderation or eviction.
By contributing to OrangePolitics, you agree to license your contributions under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
Comments
Do you know if they will
Do you know if they will conduct the searching using the EPA's environmental justice guidelines?
This is the best news I have
This is the best news I have heard in a long while. The details will be interesting but now there is a real reason for some hope.
Looks like progess to me
Looks like progess to me too. I hope they can find another site.
THEIR IS NO JUSTICE IF WE DO
THEIR IS NO JUSTICE IF WE DO NOT ADDRESS THE INJUSTICE
TO PLACE A LANDFILL IN THE CENTER OF A NEIGHBORHOOD. NOW WE WANT TO SITE A TRANSFER STATION IN THIS SAME COMMUNITY, OH '' THE COMMISSIONER WILL BEGAN A SITE SCEARH WITH NEW STANDARD SO BE ATHE SOUTHERN HUMAN SERVICE CENTER ON 11-15-07 AT 7:00 AT 2501 HOMESTEAD ROAD
CHAPEL HILL TO EXPRESS YOUR PUBLIC CONCERN.MAKE A STAND FOR JUSTICE AND ENVIRONMENTAL REFORMS. BE THERE
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.================ ROBERT CAMPBELL
RENA/CEER
919-933-6210/H
camko@bellsouth.net
I have sent the following
I have sent the following open letter to the BOCC.
This is an open letter to the BOCC about the next steps in siting the Solid Waste Transfer Station. Full disclosure: I moved from Carrboro in September and now live in Pittsboro.
Dear BOCC,
First let me thank the BOCC in reversing the spring decision on the siting of the Waste Transfer Station and agreeing to start a real site search. This was clearly the right action that will start the process of bringing justice the the Rogers/Eubanks Road Historic Community. The follow-on should include the following items.
1) Eubanks Road should be taken off the table as a potential site for the transfer station. The Rogers Road/Eubanks Road community has paid their dues for the past 35 years and it is time to allow that community to live free from this burden.
2) The new site search needs to be thorough and conducted with an open and transparent professional process that meets all EPA/DOJ guidelines. This includes the creation of a formal set of search criteria prior to the beginning of the search. Invention is not required. Guidelines are documented and a successful model exists with the process utilized by Greensboro.
3) New leadership on the SWAB is advised. From the minutes of the SWAB it is apparent that Jan Sassaman played a key lead role that contributed to the county's current predicament. New objective leadership is necessary.
4) Do not forget the mitigations efforts currently in process for resolving the Rogers/Eubanks road quality of life issues resulting from 35 years of garbage. They need to continue. During this process a funding suggestion was placed on the table by Brian Voyce, that a tipping fee be utilized to fund the improvements. This method has the advantages of being under the power of the BOCC, and distributing the burden proportionally to those that generate the most solid waste including UNC.
5) While not under the complete control of the BOCC, it is time for the BOCC, Chapel Hill and Carrboro to start the process of unifying the Rogers/Eubanks Road community under the one jurisdiction of the community's choice. The current situation of three jurisdiction dilutes the community's power and should not exist. I propose that the issue be resolved within 90 days.
Hopefully Orange County including all the governments of Orange County are moving in the right direction to righting the past injustices to this community and creating solutions that honor the values of the entire County. Again thanks for starting Orange County down the right path and I urge you to bring all this to an end that we can all be proud of.
David Richter