Howell Council OK's Waste Transfer Station Settlement, 4-1

HOWELL, NJ — The Howell Township Council has approved a settlement agreement with Resource Recycling, a developer that wants to build a construction-waste transfer station at 34 Randolph Road.

The settlement outlines local requirements for the site's operation in its host town, if the project should be approved by the state and county first.

Officials and council members made clear to members of the public who begged to delay the vote that approving a settlement has nothing to do with the ultimate approval for the station.

That's up to the Monmouth County Solid Waste Advisory Commission, the County Commissioners and the state Department of Environmental Protection, the town said.

Rather, Township Manager Joseph Clark said, the agreement gives Howell a say in how the facility will be operated if it is approved: the hours it's open, truck traffic management and fees to the town, among other elements of the agreement.

The big "if" in the issue is if the project will get the go-ahead from the county and state, Clark said.

"It's no mean feat to get approval," he said of the business that would accept construction debris from Monmouth County contractors and residents, sort and recycle it and send it on its way to be reused or disposed.

Many residents spoke over a period of two hours after hearing a brief presentation by the company about its plans and after a Power Point review of the settlement by the town.

Two common themes among the public were: 1. A big concern about truck traffic, despite assurances there will be fewer trucks used than in an earlier proposal five years ago. And 2. Pleas by residents to have more time to see the agreement presented at the Tuesday night meeting, digest it, and question it in a dedicated public hearing before a vote. Almost all speakers wanted to table the vote.

However, after more than two hours of discussion, the council approved the agreement, with Mayor Theresa Berger voting against accepting the agreement and the other four councilmembers voting for it.

A local advocacy group, Howell NJ First, had urged residents to attend the meeting to hear details and express their opinions.

And that they did: Residents were often frustrated about the form of the meeting where they can ask questions but not get an answer to questions until everyone speaks. Some councilmembers took a bit of offense at being accused of not being transparent and of not fully exploring the elements of the agreement, which they said they have been considering for months.

While the transfer station might not happen, the discussion about it took it as a given that it will.

The Randolph Road and Route 547 site - while not strictly residential - has residences in the area where families will be affected by truck traffic and noise, although the facility operations will be in an enclosed structure.

The township outlined several benefits of the project at the meeting: 80 trucks anticipated daily versus 150 as in the 2018 proposal; $950,000 in annual revenue to the township as opposed to $214,000 previously; tax revenue; free use of the facility by the appropriate township departments, saving $80,00 to $100,000 annually; and a phased $50,000 donation to the township Open Space Fund, among other benefits.

The company said it is barred by state DEP rules from accepting waste from Ocean County (the site is located in the far southeast corner of the township), so previous discussion of its being a site for Lakewood "housing boom" waste was clarified - it's not happening here. It was also clarified that the company is up to date on its property taxes.

But not having the settlement in hand and not having a hearing well prior to a vote, stuck in the craw of most residents:

"How do we know if this agreement is the greatest thing since sliced bread?" asked one resident after hearing the town's description of financial benefits that might accrue to the township.

Howell NJ First, in a Facebook post, made its position clear after the vote:

"We advocated for the release of agreement, posting of presentation online and tabling the vote. Township officials did not want to delay, as they claim the court was growing impatient with the length of settlement negotiations.

"We believe if the town gets everything they negotiated and the owners operate in full compliance with the proposed agreement without requiring the burden of enforcement, then this facility should have less impacts than the one originally proposed. This remains to be seen," the post said.

If you want to watch the full meeting and discussion, go to the meeting video here. So far, the actual settlement does not appear to be on the township website. But a copy of the agreement is on file at the Office of the Township Clerk and can be viewed during normal business hours, the resolution says. You can see the full agenda here.

And you can read a brief history of the project - more than seven years of it - on the Howell NJ First social media site here.

In 2020, members of the council expressed concern about traffic from trucks hauling construction waste to the site for processing and eventual removal. And Monmouth County said in a 2009 Waste Management plan (endorsed in 2016) that such a facility was not necessary, Howell NJ First says.

The owners of the company, then Resource Engineering, sued the county, and Howell intervened in September 2020 to protect its residents' interests, according to the Howell NJ First chronology.

In June 2022, Resource Engineering was sold to Resource Transfer Group, Howell NJ First said.