Tim Walker
AMR Reporter
About 13 people, mostly residents of Northern Pocahontas County, angrily pro-tested at the March 17 Pocahontas County Commission meeting about the decision of the Solid Waste Authority’s to have Jacob Meck build a transfer station at the county landfill.
Although only two people, Nancy Harris and Mike Murphy, signed up to speak during the public input portion of the meeting, the session devolved into an angry discussion with many of the attendees making comments.
Their many-fold objections to the SWA’s approval of a 15-year transfer station lease agreement with Jacob Meck included:
Deeding several acres of the public landfill to a private company. However, in rebuttal in-lieu-of the SWA deeding the landfill property to Meck, the property ownership might be turned over the county’s Economic Development Agency – the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation (GVEDC,) which has done similar arrangements for the county before.
They also objected, saying the SWA is being over-charged for the project, which will cause the green box and tipping fees to go too high for people to afford.
That the SWA is accepting Meck’s offer without bidding out either the transfer station project or the hauling contract.
That the SWA proposal prohibits trash haulers and even citizens from transporting trash created in the county to another county’s landfill. They are doing that to ensure that all trash generated in Pocahontas County in the future must be processed through the new transfer station.
That the SWA is committing to a $5-or-$6-million agreement over a 15-year period when they don’t have the funds to do so.
That the SWA proposal to charge green box fees on every parcel of land in the county, developed or not, is unfair.
When the commission explained that they have no authority over the Pocahontas County Solid Waste Authority, the group asked the commission to replace Ed Riley with Angela Fisher, a member of their group. Riley had just resigned from the SWA.
The commission has already scheduled a special meeting for Thursday, March 19, at 9 a.m. to appoint a replacement for Riley. Only two of the five member SWA board are appointed by the county commission, one of whom was Ed Riley. The other three are appointed by the state.
It was announced that the SWA will hold a special meeting as well Thursday, March 19, at 2 p.m. with an agenda that includes discussions with possible action on free day regulations; the policy for disposal of household furnishings at the landfill; and future green box operations. There is no public comment included on that agenda.
In other matters at the meeting the commission approved:
• the 2027 JCS Community Corrections Grant in the amount of $54,000 for Day Report.
• Resolution #19 from the EPA Tannery Project.
• to pay invoices totaling $18.273.99. Amy Trusdale of the GVEDC said the abatement funding for demolishing the tannery office building has now been approved.
• to hire Dylon White as a part-time EMT at the Ambulance Service at $15 per hour with no benefits.
• a letter of commitment to support the Mountain Transit Authority with the commission’s $25,000 annual contribution.
• acknowledgement of the receipt of letters of support for Congressionally Directed Spending funds
• appointment of Election officials for the May 12 Primary Election.
• appointing Jared Clendenen to the EMS Authority Board.
• a letter of support to the state regarding repairing the Locust Creek Covered Bridge.
