Court Rules Against Tiny Town In Mega Landfill Fight; Public Hearing Thursday

March 9, 2011

A public hearing on the proposed Conecuh Woods mega-landfill will go on as planned Thursday after a court ruling Tuesday against the tiny town of Repton, Alabama.

Repton, which sits adjacent to the proposed 5,100 acre landfill, filed suit this week against Conecuh Woods LLC and the Conecuh County (Ala.) Commission in an attempt to stop a permit from being issued for landfill. A judge denied the injunction sought by lawyers for the town of 280 residents.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has issued an executive order providing for a moratorium on new landfills in the state, but Thursday’s public hearing will go on as planned.

The public hearing for the Conecuh County Commission to consider approval for Conecuh Woods is set for next  9:00 Thursday morning at Reid State Technical College in Evergreen. The commission has until April 2 to make a decision on the proposal — if the governor’s moratorium does not stop the process.

Numerous counties and cities in the area have passed resolutions against the landfill forwarded to Conecuh commissioners and Alabama’s governor — including Escambia counties in Alabama and Florida, Baldwin County, Century, Atmore and Flomaton.

The Town of Century, which sits directly downstream from the proposed landfill, expressed concerns over potential water quality issues in the Escambia River as a result of the landfill.

Century Mayor Freddie McCall is encouraging as many area residents as possible to attend Thursday’s public hearing in Evergreen.

“Numbers count trying to influence the county commission up there,” McCall said. While he will not be able  to personally attend the hearing due to previously scheduled medical tests, Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez will officially represent the town at the hearing.

Reid State is located just off of I-65 at Exit #96, the northernmost Evergreen exit.

Comments

16 Responses to “Court Rules Against Tiny Town In Mega Landfill Fight; Public Hearing Thursday”

  1. judith on March 10th, 2011 8:33 pm

    who was the judge in evergreen his nqame is not mentioned

  2. eab on March 10th, 2011 4:44 pm

    While I am totally against this landfill and the pollution it will bring, it’s good that we are having this conversation.

    Maybe it’ll make us think about who we are sending “our” garbage to.

  3. Just An Old Soldier on March 10th, 2011 11:01 am

    Resident of New York City: “Gee, I am sure glad all this toxic waste I’m making with my meth lab is getting shipped out of state! I wonder where it’s going?…oh well, Not my problem!”

    New Landfill Employee: “Gee, this garbage is coming in from all over the North, I wonder why they’re shipping it all down here? Oh, well, least I got a job. Wonder why my kids are so sick all them time though? Ain’t feelin’ too good myself!”

    Florida Resident Donwstream of New Alabama landfill: “Gee, I wonder how long it takes to die of this new cancer I got from drinking my water, and watering my lawn?”

  4. art on March 10th, 2011 10:53 am

    this has the potential to poison your well. do you want that? are the few jobs that this creates in the initail phase of development really worth it? if you want a robust economy, make your surroundings safe, first and foremost. protect what valuable assets you have (in this case, precious water). encourage and develop parks and recreation. the north end of alabama is a good example… senator shelby got involved a few years back in the gadsden/fort payne area and helped to get a nature center for those folks. not saying their economy is any better than ours for jobs, but they are growing and they are ready for when the overall economy swings back around to something sane. same thing can happen in this neck of the woods…you could generate the same amount of jobs if you were to develop something else, like some botanical gardens or a park with a pavilion for reunions and pow wows. and on top of all that i don’t get why in the world, in todays economy, why we don’t have something like the CCC from back in the 30’s…don’t you know a truckload of 18 to 25 year olds who would jump on that like a chicken on a junebug? they had those unemployed young men from back in the day, building parks and bridges…a lot are still in use all over the country… lord knows our infrastructure needs it!

  5. wonder on March 9th, 2011 9:18 pm

    How many people are layed off in this area? Would this not bring in jobs?

  6. Erin on March 9th, 2011 7:24 pm

    This is ridiculous. Just goes to show the character of politicians. Which is why i decided to stop voting.

  7. art on March 9th, 2011 5:11 pm

    i am really shocked that the commissioners have the unmitigated gall to side with big business on this and ignore the good people of both escambia county alabama and escambia county florida. they better beware that they are going on record and we the people vote them in or vote them out. i am also surprised that the state representatives and senators of both states don’t get involved.

  8. AC on March 9th, 2011 4:14 pm

    “Just another case of County commissioners being bought out. If this dump is allowed to happen, Alabama will become the nations landfield.”

    Yep! And Florida sits downstream of Alabama, and we all know the saying about what floats downstream. We ALL have a stake in this, and should all make our voices (and votes) heard.

  9. Jim W on March 9th, 2011 1:48 pm

    Well at least Repton tried. This thing has to be stopped. What you are seeing hear is a lot of money trying to ram something thru that the general public does not want. There may be some jobs to be had when it first starts but it will not stay at the build level long. Once it is completed there will be very few jobs needed for them to operate. Then the public is stuck with the aftermath of this thing including the up keep of the roadways and trying to keep the water tables clean and so on. We the taxpayer gets the bill in the end results and the investors get the pay off. It makes one ponder about the commissioners and what part of no do they not understand. HUMMMM!

  10. art on March 9th, 2011 12:56 pm

    everyone that lives downstream from this must oppose it. everyone…

  11. concerned citizen on March 9th, 2011 11:19 am

    Does anyone realize that this dump will be 3 miles long and 3 miles wide?!! THAT IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF GARBAGE!! I am going to meeting and hope that everyone who can will.. So many powerful people and so much money is behind this.. It is not looking good for those of us who oppose it..

  12. Thinker on March 9th, 2011 8:45 am

    Call all your friends who can go to this hearing tomorrow. Poster board and magic markers to make signs are a lot cheaper than cancer treatment for your Grandchildren.
    No matter how this landfill is designed, in time it will decay. All things decay except for a lot of the toxic chemicals that go into landfills like this. Given enough years, this whole area downstream could be uninhabitable. We will NOT sit by and let this happen.

  13. employee on March 9th, 2011 8:27 am

    Reid State is located at exit # 96
    Get there early, seating is limited!

  14. Oversight on March 9th, 2011 7:57 am

    Repton should annex the land into its city limits… That ought to do it.

  15. art on March 9th, 2011 6:54 am

    never give up and never stop fighting. our kids are going to inherit the land we are utilizing today. let’s be good stewards of that.

  16. talstar on March 9th, 2011 4:40 am

    Just another case of County commissioners being bought out. If this dump is allowed to happen, Alabama will become the nations landfield.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News