Tim Walker
AMR Reporter
Pocahontas County Solid Waste Authority (SWA) discussed the Green Box sites at Caesar Mountain and Marlinton at its August 28 meeting. Landfill Manager Christopher McComb talked about the many issues at those Green Box sites.
One of the issues McComb brought up was that, if the SWA replaces the fence around the Caesar Mountain site, he believes people will just illegally tear it down again. He said people also abuse the system by placing all sorts of unauthorized things like metal poles, fence posts, construction materials such as shingles, and once even a car engine in the boxes which are supposed to used only for bagged household trash. He said those types of items destroy the floors of the green boxes and even damage the trucks that load the trash from the boxes. He also said that just the other day, he found a green box at Caesar Mountain that was completely filled with tires.
SWA board member Dave Henderson suggested that perhaps the SWA should put up a sign at the site and also post a notice in The Pocahontas Times advising that if the fence is torn down again or if people continue to dump unauthorized items in the green boxes at Caesar Mountain, the SWA will remove the boxes and close down the site.
McComb said they will replace the gate at the Marlinton Green Box site, but people are also placing prohibited items at that site, as well. He noted that those things are not happening at the other Green Box sites in the county.
SWA chairman Ed Riley said that at their upcoming special meeting, set for September 9 at 2:30 pm, these Green Box issues will be addressed and action approved to remedy them. McComb estimated that the special meeting may take up to three hours because of the number of issues that will need to be addressed.
In the SWA’s July 2024 financial statement, which the members approved at the meeting, SWA Administrative Assistant Mary Clendenon said that there was nothing unexpected except for the unanticipated $9,000 landfill lease payment. However, depending on how long it takes to complete the purchase of the landfill, some of that money may be returned. She pointed out that tire recycling and white goods recycling both lost money in July. During that month, the first month of the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the SWA had an income of $187,667.01 and $196,014.73 in total expenditures. You can find a link to this total financial report with this story at alleghenymountainradio.org
It was reported that the SWA received its annual Solid Waste Management Board Grant award in the amount of $15,000, which was about the average received by counties across the state.
It was also announced that the Public Service Commission has approved the landfill tipping fee rate increase and the tire recycling fee increase. Those will take effect on September 1.
McComb also reported that the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) Inspector came out to the landfill and found two violations of stone placement and a violation for wind blown trash. He said the inspector seemed satisfied with the remedies the SWA had implemented to fix prior violations.
There was a discussion about spending an estimated $20,000 to repair the broken Mack garbage truck, which might be more of an expense than that old truck is worth. They decided to not repair it at this time. McComb said, however, this will only leave them with one aging Peter-Built front loading garbage truck, and if that breaks down, they will be in trouble. He said new front loading garbage trucks cost between $350,000 to $400,000 and used ones are about $200,000.
They also reviewed the drafted deed for the proposed purchase of the landfill which had been prepared by the county commission’s attorney, Mike Doss. They found one item regarding the spraying of herbicide along the road into the property to be objectionable, and said they thought that there had been an agreement to drop that from the deed. Commissioner Jamie Walker said he should be able to get that item removed from the deed.
