Advisor sees ‘errors’ in solid waste report

Permits remain elusive

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — Would it cost less to ship solid waste out of the county or to put it into the ground in an expanded landfill? It’s a question that might determine future policy regarding municipal solid waste in Sullivan County.

At a meeting of the Sullivan County Department of Public Works on March 20, county manager David Fanslau presented a report from the Solid Waste Task Force, which outlined various options regarding the county landfill.

As part of the presentation, Fanslau said it would be slightly more expensive to transport garbage out of the county than to put it into an expanded landfill. The difference would be about $2 per ton.

However, a waste advisor, who is deeply familiar with the county’s landfill issues, questioned that finding. Stephen Lynch, of the consulting firm R.S. Lynch & Company, said that an initial look at the report led him to conclude that there were “structural errors” in it. His company had been hired in the past to serve as solid waste advisors and had prepared a report in 2005 on landfill options. His company was prepared to update that report for 2008, but the county decided to do the work in-house.

Lynch said in 2005, it was “a squeaker” as to whether it would be more costly to export or expand the landfill. He added with the changes in various costs related to the landfill operation in the past three years, he would expect the report would find the opposite?that it would be slightly cheaper to export than to operate the expanded landfill.

Lynch further expressed his opinion that the decision not to spend the $25,000 for the cost of an “independent, professional” report by a company such as his was detrimental to the process. He said there are many people in the government center who have a vested interest in seeing the landfill go forward.

Lawmakers, however, roundly praised the report for its thoroughness. They also praised Fanslau for saving the county money by creating the report in-house.

The permits

The report also repeated what other officials have said: that the issue of noise at the proposed phase two expansion of the landfill is the only one left that blocks the issuance of the necessary permits to move forward. Gary Abraham, the lawyer representing the owners of Mountain Lodge Estates, who are challenging the landfill expansion on every front, does not agree with that assessment.

He said there are two other issues, one regarding the recycling program and the other regarding odor, that are being appealed. The permits can not be issued until those appeals are settled. Further, he said that even in the event that they are, his clients may sue the county in civil court over various issues.

Also, in the matter of the noise, Abraham said the county had canceled a court session in December 2007 to show how they were going to come into compliance with the noise requirements, and as of now there is no scheduled court session for the county to address the matter.

Asked about the issues on appeal, Fanslau said, “The county attorney’s office has represented to the legislature that the noise issue is the only outstanding issue, and the county views the noise issue as the last remaining issue as it seeks the permitting for the phase two expansion of the county landfill.”

Abraham said, however, his clients were not likely to stop the legal battle as long as there were legal avenues left to pursue. “The people at Mountain Lodge Estates are adamant that they will not accept a landfill in their front yard.”