Issues:
Comments
I suspect Mark's history lesson is in response to what Mark M and I wrote. While I appreciate seeing the history in a single piece, and I appreciate the efforts of everyone, I agree with James that intent/effort isn't the same thing as achievement, a sentiment that Mark seems to agree also.There has been plenty of time to get the Rogers Road neighbors along both sides of the municipal dividing line hooked up to clean water and sewer. Yes, it would have cost the taxpayers, but we should have paid it. Look at the cost of the municipal center the town of Chapel Hill built a few years ago, including a very high cost art project. Just 1/2 of the cost of the art project would have paid a big portion of water and sewer connection fees for the Rogers Road neighbors. Or look at the investment in the NCDs. There was funding for other projects, just not for Rogers Road.I cannot point to specific Carrboro projects in that area that could have been extended to help the Carrboro residents along Rogers Road, although I seem to recall that the water main could have been extended farther instead of stopping 2 miles away from the neighborhood by pushing OWASA to partner in the project. We could also rezone Eubanks Road to industrial and/or commercial to bring development out to where it could begin developing the infrastructure needed to make the necessary improvements to those homeowners. There has been a lot of talk about a Good Neighbor Contract for IFC. At the very least, I think the residents of Rogers Road should ask for a similar contract, with specific items and timelines. It shouldn't even be a bargaining chip. The county should offer it up with the towns as co-signers.
During the misguided and fumbled landfill search of 1991-92, the BOCC was continually requested to alter the approach to solid waste. The suggestions centered around suspending the ill-defined siting process for a mega-landfill, using that moratorium to craft an aggressive waste reduction program (this seed finally sprouted many years later), look at another smaller landfill in central to northern Orange County, dramatically improve landfill design to decrease community impact, and work democratically with landfill neighbors. The honchos at the time (many are still ensconced) told us that there was no time for a moratorium because the Eubanks landfill would be full around 1997. Furthermore - and this was the most damaging position to real progress - the site search committee was told that they could not consider potential waste reduction & so could not look at much smaller landfill sites than the huge ones on the menu provided. It was a process that seemed designed for failure. No commissioners stepped up at that point to call for a saner process.At that time, I did some research based on upcoming state legislation that would require waste reduction, population projections, and general trends in order to determine how long the Eubanks landfill would serve us. I was hoping to make the case that we in fact did have time to pause and devise a process that made sense.Well, my projections were incredibly wrong. I predicted that the landfill would last until around 2002-2004. Looks like I was off by maybe fifteen years. At the time, the projection was dismissed by staff & BOCC as pie-in-the-sky and unrealistic. So the County solid waste plan was a wreck. The landfill search very predictably went into a ditch. Waste reduction started gaining momentum. The projected life of the landfill was extended. The Commissioners for the next several terms procrastinated and avoided the issue. They were handed the time to relax and solve the problem and all they could do was say that the issue was too political, in a way blaming the dumb citizens for not understanding the issue properly. This all relates to the Rogers Rd. community. Any good solution would have involved extra tip fees to fund community needs, changes in landfill design, more aggressive waste reduction, and institutionalized community input & oversight. I have no doubt that, had the BOCC shown leadership and a commitment to solve the problems, this could have been largely resolved years ago. They failed the landfill neighbors & they failed Orange County citizens. And now we're painted into a corner in which shipping our waste to a "Rogers Rd." in rural Virginia or paying for a risky high-cost incineration technology is what we've been reduced to.
As someone who lives off of Rogers Rd. I appreciate the history lesson offered here. However the most pressing issue is closing the landfill on Eubanks. Justice delayed is justice denied. We need to close Eubanks ASAP. We need decisions to be made as to how and when. The Eubanks Rd area will become a commecial and residential mecca in the coming years. That process has already begun. Closing the landfill will hasten that process. I want the leaders of this county to state when the landfill will close and what option they support for handling our waste as a result. 15
I was a volunteer appointee to the citizens' committee that sought to find an alternative site for the landfill just prior to the 1996-67 effort that Mark cites in his history. And I was a volunteer appointee to the OWASA Board for 6 years and its chair for one. Mark and his several of his elected colleagues from both Carrboro and Chapel Hill were consistent in their efforts to bring environmental justice and (perhaps more inportantly environmental health protection) to the Rogers Road community. I would like to add to his post a note of praise to the town staff and OWASA staff whose commitment to finding remedies came from within themselves and were supported by the elected bodies. Unfortunately these problems linger and perhaps they could have been handled better. But it was not for a lack of concern, commitment, or effort from elected officials and professional local government staff in my experience.Dan VanderMeer, St Petersburg, FL
There is a no master plan for solid waste. At least one everyone agrees and works toward. When I say everyone it is the elected bodies in this county. Back when the County took over the landfill from Chapel Hill everyone was happy, Chapel Hill mostly likely dancing back to town hall becasue they unloaded a big burden.I have attended several recent BOCC meetings where they appear wanting to include the towns in the discussion and decisions. The towns don't seem interested and if they are not then be bold enough to step up and say so. If they are interested then engage the County, set a course and stick to it. I just don't see leadership coming from anywhere.
Better late than never.
Good for Carrboro!My understanding is that public monies can only be used to build the main sewer lines and that residents then have to invest their own funds to connect. Has there been any attempt to determine how many residents are able to pay the connection costs? How much of the total cost to run the main line will be covered by the $900,000?
Let me say it again....good for Carrboro. Glad to hear you've covered the sticky issue of the connection fee. I wonder if there is grant money that can help cover everything over $2,000.
I heard $5.5 mil a couple of weeks ago.
Mark, thanks for all of your work on this issue as well as the documentation of the same. Whenever you decide you've had enough of public office, we should make sure to keep you around as historian!I'm not sure which criticism has gotten on your nerves here, but I hope it isn't anything I wrote. I was trying to live blog the meeting as much as I could (and still pay attention to what felt like a historic night in this struggle), so while there's certainly bias in what I wrote, it wasn't intended to be offensive -- just trying to capture what others were saying.Also, I wonder if you're taking the criticism (and there certainly was from BoCC members and the manager last night) too personally. Every time I heard it, it was much more about lack of progress from the towns, rather than lack of concern or effort. I'm struck by this distinction as I read what you wrote and notice all the things which you fought hard for (correctly), but were not enacted by a majority of the board. So it may well be fair to criticize the outcome of what the towns have accomplished without passing any judgement on the individuals who hold a minority of the votes in those boards.Or maybe I'm just in a generous mood tonight.