Council Prodded with Landfill-Related Questions, Concerns

The June 20 meeting of was another evening filled with landfill-related questions and concerns, as residents--primarily from the Steel City section of the township--took to the speaker's podium to address everything from noise issues to the potential impact to taxpayers of closure.

The landfill , and is currently seeking the rezoning of property to the west of its facility on Applebutter Road that would allow for an expansion.

However, in recent months  have become increasingly vocal----in their opposition to the IESI proposal.

The de facto leader of the citizens group, Steel City resident Matt McClarin, was the first to address council Wednesday.

He read an open letter called "What Will We Do?" in which he asked questions such as "What will we do when all the (landfill) host agreement money is blown like it has been, and this land can never make money for the township again?"

McClarin advocated for preserving some of the land under consideration for rezoning in its natural state. Land closer to Applebutter Road should be promoted "to a business that is willing to keep some of the historic structures and incorporate them into the property," he said.

Allowing the rezoning and opening the door to the landfill's expansion could "sacrifice a whole community for the supposed good of the rest," he added.

After listening to his letter, councilwoman Priscilla deLeon said she was "touched" by the questions raised in it.

"Once the land is gone, it's gone," she commented. "And people have to realize that."

Donna Louder, another Steel City resident who has been outspoken in her opposition to the proposed rezoning of land along Applebutter Road, also addressed council.

She said that--with help from her accountant--she researched the possible financial impact to township taxpayers that the landfill's closure could have.

She used her own property as an example, and said that it was estimated that the loss of $1.6 million in annual revenue from the landfill would result in a $140 annual tax increase, "give or take $50," on a property assessed at $44,500.

She cited this figure as evidence that tax increases resulting from the loss of the township's landfill host fees would not be "astronomical."

So the potential impact to taxpayers of the landfill's closure "should not be used as a scare tactic," Louder said.

She also questioned the fate of several historic buildings along Applebutter Road that have recently been acquired by IESI in order to help facilitate its possible western expansion.

She said a recent conversation with a landfill official led her to believe that IESI has no plans to preserve the historic buildings.

"If they want to be neighborly with us, they need to show the township that they're respectful of where we're living at," Louder said.

She added, "I think those buildings should be restored...like the bridge in (council president Glenn) Kern's backyard," referring to the historic Old Mill Bridge that will be restored later this year.

Kern was absent from the meeting, but council vice president Tom Maxfield said the historic resources in the Applebutter Road corridor are "a real concern."

However, as deLeon noted, "even though they're historic and we value them, we have to have money to fix them."

DeLeon noted that the township does maintain a landfill "Post-Closure Fund" that currently has more than $300,000 in it.

The purpose of the fund is to help offset the eventual fiscal impact of the landfill's closure, and although money has not been committed to the fund in the recent past, it continues to earn interest.

"I think there should be some kind of donation to that fund on a monthly basis or a quarterly basis," Louder said.

In related business at the council meeting, Louder was unanimously appointed to fill a vacancy on the township's Landfill Committee, which meets monthly.

Noting that she is a lifelong township resident, Township Manager Jack Cahalan recommended her appointment, which he said is for an unexpired two-year term that ends on Dec. 31, 2013.

Other residents who spoke out at the meeting included Kareen Bleam, of Fritz Avenue, who told council noise that is apparently coming from the landfill is becoming a nuisance in Steel City.

Bleam said she can hear the sound of heavy equipment being operated "all day" until about 5:30pm on her days off, and that the sound appears to be "coming closer" to where she lives.

A resident of the neighborhood since 1968, Bleam said she fears what the noise level will be like if an expansion of the facility is ever approved.

"And of course the smell is going to start coming our way," she said.

Bleam was advised by council to contact the landfill, township police, and/or the Department of Environmental Protection if quality of life issues continue to be a concern.

Maxfield said the DEP is supposed to respond to an odor complaint within 40 minutes, and that police will respond if necessary because unwelcome odors and excessive noise are both covered by the township's nuisance ordinance.

Cahalan said a call to the landfill will also result in a response to the scene of the problem.

Following the meeting, McClarin said residents opposed to an expansion of the landfill are gearing up for the township planning commission's June 28 meeting, at which the proposed rezoning of property will be considered by planners.

Safety and quality of life concerns related to the landfill's operation are likely to be brought up at that meeting, as they were before council by Steel City residents Russell Sutton Jr. and Bobby Hicks, respectively.

Sutton, of Saucon Avenue, told council that Steel City's geograhic isolation in between the Lehigh River and the mountain that separates it from the landfill should be kept in mind.

If there were ever an accident related to the methane gas that is a byproduct of decomposition in landfills, Sutton said he's concerned about the ability of nearby residents to evacuate.

"In Steel City, we're trapped," he said. "We only have one egress out."

Hicks, a native of Mississippi who said he's lived in Steel City since the early 1980s, said he wants the quiet, rural character of his adopted home to be preserved.

"There's so much beautiful nature over there," he said. "To me, that's (like) Mississippi. Please don't destroy it."

The June 28 Lower Saucon Township Planning Commission meeting will be held at 7pm in Lower Saucon Town Hall.