Reader's Viewpoint: For the sake of Bolivar residents, put a stop to Countywide Landfill

The Times-Reporter

To the Editor:

Recently there have been several articles in the newspapers regarding the Countywide Landfill in Pike Township. Let me address some of the issues that concern me.

Today, I was informed the Ohio EPA receives $3.50 per ton that is dumped in the landfill. If 6,000 tons are taken there each day, that amounts to $21,000 per day which is allocated among four agencies within the EPA. If someone is receiving $21,000 per day, I don’t see that same organization closing the landfill down. It certainly appears to represent a conflict of interest....Read more.

Officials cancel landfill hearing

BY Kelli Young
The Canton Repository

PLAIN TWP - The Stark County Health Department has canceled a hearing planned for Wednesday to discuss whether Stark C&D Disposal should expand its Osnaburg Township landfill by 97 acres.

Health Commissioner William Franks said the department needs more time to review the changes Stark C&D officials submitted last week to its request to expand the landfill at 7280 Lisbon St. SE.

"We want to make sure things haven't been changed too drastically," he said....Read more.

Experts say landfill fire would pose some risks

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

PIKE TWP - Since August, environmental regulators, activists, consultants, a pilot and a landfill manager have clashed over whether an underground fire is burning at the Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility.

Even within the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, documents show that the agency’s staffers in Twinsburg and Columbus have had intense debates about it. It got so contentious that an EPA staffer in Columbus, who was pushing for more investigation of a possible fire, in a memo accused other staffers of putting concern about “public and media opinion of the landfill” over a possible threat to people’s health....Read more.

Lawsuit seeks landfill papers

By ROBERT WANG and RYAN KARP
Copley Ohio Newspapers

CANTON – Pike Township trustees have filed a lawsuit seeking documents relating to the persistent odor problems at Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility to see if there’s reason enough to shut down the landfill.

The intent of the suit, filed Friday in Stark County Common Pleas court, is to gather enough information to determine if the landfill operators can be cited for nuisance and zoning violations....Read more.

Is he a man of his word?

The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - The new director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Chris Korleski, has declared that dealing with problems at the Countywide Landfill near Bolivar is his agency’s “No. 1 priority.”

We hope he is a man of his word.

Korleski has set a “firm” deadline of Feb. 21 to make a recommendation to the Stark County Health Board on Countywide’s 2007 operating license....Read more.