Waste district mulls appeal of landfill expansion plan
BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository
BOLIVAR - The local waste district board met in private Friday to consider whether to appeal a state panel’s ruling that upholds the expansion of the Countywide landfill.
Kerry Metzger, who chairs the board of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District, declined to reveal details of the closed-door discussion.
But in reaction to the ruling, the Tuscarawas County commissioner said, “I’m very disappointed. ... I think the solid waste district had very legitimate concerns.”
In 2003, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency approved a 170-acre expansion of the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township. The district, the village of Bolivar and the environmental group Club 3000 appealed the decision to the Environmental Review Appeals Commission.
That body ruled on June 27 that the EPA had acted properly.
“We said all along, the landfill permit was fair and incorporated everything the rules required,” said Countywide’s general manager, Tim Vandersall. “I always felt confident we were going to win and felt it was a waste of money to go through this process.”
Separately, on Friday, the district’s board, for a second time in about a month, rejected funding road repairs in Stark County. Stark County Engineer Michael Rehfus had asked for more than $147,000, so his office could address damage to pavement caused by garbage trucks bound for Countywide. The measure failed by a 4 to 4 vote, the same result from the first vote held on June 1. Stark County commissioner Tom Harmon, who took office July 1, supported it.
But Wayne County Commissioner Scott Wiggam, who had backed the funding at the last meeting, changed his vote. He now wants a formal road repair policy in place before he approves more funding.
The Canton Repository
BOLIVAR - The local waste district board met in private Friday to consider whether to appeal a state panel’s ruling that upholds the expansion of the Countywide landfill.
Kerry Metzger, who chairs the board of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District, declined to reveal details of the closed-door discussion.
But in reaction to the ruling, the Tuscarawas County commissioner said, “I’m very disappointed. ... I think the solid waste district had very legitimate concerns.”
In 2003, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency approved a 170-acre expansion of the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township. The district, the village of Bolivar and the environmental group Club 3000 appealed the decision to the Environmental Review Appeals Commission.
That body ruled on June 27 that the EPA had acted properly.
“We said all along, the landfill permit was fair and incorporated everything the rules required,” said Countywide’s general manager, Tim Vandersall. “I always felt confident we were going to win and felt it was a waste of money to go through this process.”
Separately, on Friday, the district’s board, for a second time in about a month, rejected funding road repairs in Stark County. Stark County Engineer Michael Rehfus had asked for more than $147,000, so his office could address damage to pavement caused by garbage trucks bound for Countywide. The measure failed by a 4 to 4 vote, the same result from the first vote held on June 1. Stark County commissioner Tom Harmon, who took office July 1, supported it.
But Wayne County Commissioner Scott Wiggam, who had backed the funding at the last meeting, changed his vote. He now wants a formal road repair policy in place before he approves more funding.
