The meeting, with more than 100 attendees, was highly contentious with frequent interruptions, accusations that Rumpke was lying and not considering the impact to the community, as well as profanity-laced shouts.
Amanda Pratt, Rumpke senior vice president of communications, said at the meeting that the company wanted community input to ensure it is not taking anything away and is adding value.
“We want to be a resource for the community, so that’s what we strive to do with our operations,” Pratt said.
Pratt said Rumpke operates 15 landfills and 25 transfer facilities “in top compliance” and this project, estimated to cost about $16 million and create 45-65 full-time jobs, would be similar to other locations.
There would be 25 trucks to start out, with that number to progressively increase to 165 over several years, Pratt said.
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Credit: Jessica Orozco
The Ohio EPA will continue to review the application and ensure compliance with environmental standards to prevent groundwater or other pollution. The EPA has to approve the project before it can go forward.
The county must also approve the project, and is looking at it from a zoning, engineering and solid waste district standpoint. Site building plans should be in front of the county next month.
Numerous residents asked questions, many of them met with applause from the crowd. One man said he and others would oppose the facility no matter what and asked what needed to be done to prevent Rumpke from going through on its plan.
Solid Waste District Director Chuck Bauer said the county has planned for the need for a potential waste transfer facility since 2012, and Rumpke’s proposal follows its guidelines and goals. He said the waste transfer facility would reduce illegal dumping by allowing residents to recycle for free or bring in large waste items, including furniture.
He said the sewer system is more than capable of handling this project as well as the incoming Buc-ee’s to Huber Heights. The plan is for Rumpke to have a holding tank from which the wastewater would leave.
The property is zoned for light industrial use, Clark County director of development J. Alex Dietz said, and Rumpke’s facility meets that definition. The property is more than 36 acres and much of it will be landscaped and used as buffer space from the surrounding area.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Rumpke does not yet own the land and any rezoning would have to be initiated by the property owner, Dietz said in response to questions.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is currently performing a traffic study to evaluate how the facility would change traffic patterns and any changes necessary. ODOT must approve the application before the project can move forward.
Clark County Health Commissioner Chris Cook told the News-Sun that after the facility is built, it would be monitored by the county health district. He said laws and rules “exist to prevent bad stuff from happening; it’s all based on science.”
Cook encouraged trust in the EPA and the health department. According to health department conversations with other areas that have Rumpke waste transfer facilities, the company has been compliant, with unremarkable inspections.
Several community members objected to the location of the facility, saying that it would pollute the nearby Mad River, create odor and noise and attract rodents. Rumpke said it will maintain a clean facility.
“You’re not going to build this transfer station here, you’re not going to build this transfer station,” one man said. “If we have to lay across the freaking highway ...”
The meeting abruptly ended when audience members continued to shout, expressing their disdain. Pratt told the crowd Rumpke would go back and have discussions based on what it learned.
Credit: Mark Freistedt
Credit: Mark Freistedt
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