Residents Express to County Commissioners Dismay Over Splid Waste Authority Decisions

At the March 17^th Pocahontas County Commission meeting, about 13 people, mostly residents of Northern Pocahontas County, angerly protested to the commissioners about the decision of the county Solid Waste Authority (SWA,) to have Jacob Meck build a transfer station at the county landfill.

Although only two people, Nancy Harris and Mike Murphy, signed up to speak during the public input portion of the meeting the session devolved into an angry discussion with many of the attendees’ making comments. Their many-fold objections to the SWA’s approval of a 15-year transfer station lease agreement with Jacob Meck included:

• Deeding several acres of the public landfill to a private company. However, in rebuttal in-lieu-of the SWA deeding the landfill property to Meck, the property ownership might be turned over the county’s Economic Development Agency – the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation (GVEDC,) which has done similar arrangements for the county before.
• They also objected that the SWA is being over-charged for the project, which will cause the green box and tipping fees to go too high for people to afford.
• That the SWA is accepting Meck’s offer without bidding out either the transfer station project or the hauling contract.
• That the SWA proposal prohibits trash haulers and even citizens from transporting trash created in the county to another county’s landfill. They are doing that to ensure that all trash generated in Pocahontas County in the future must be processed through the new transfer station.
• That the SWA is committing to a 5-or-6-million-dollar agreement over a 15-year period when they don’t have the funds to do so.
• That the SWA is proposing charging green box fees on every parcel of land in the county, developed or not, is unfair.

When the commissioners explained that they have no authority over the Pocahontas County Solid Waste Authority, the group asked the commissioners to replace Ed Riley, who has just resigned from the SWA, with Angela Fisher, a member of their group. The commission has already scheduled a special meeting for Thursday, March 19^th at 9 am to appoint a replacement for Riley. Only 2 of the 5 member SWA board are appointed by the county commission one of which included Ed. Riley. The other 3 are state appointees.

It was announced that the SWA is also holding a special meeting on the 19^th at 2 pm with an agenda that includes discussions with possible action on free day regulations; the policy for disposal of household furnishings at the landfill; and future green box operations. There is no public comment included on that agenda.

Additionally at the meeting the commissioners approved:

• The 2027 JCS Community Corrections Grant in the amount of $54,000 for Day Report.
• Resolution #19 from the EPA Tannery Project to pay invoices totaling $18.273.99. Amy Trusdale of the GVEDC also said the abatement funding for demolishing the tannery office building has now been approved.
• To hire Dylon White as a part-time EMT at the Ambulance Service.at $15.00 per hour with no benefits
• A letter of commitment to support the Mountain Transit Authority with the commission’s $25,000 annual contribution.
• Acknowledgement of the receipt of letters of support for Congressionally Directed Spending funds
• Appointment of Election officials for the May 12^th Primary Elections.
• Appointing Jared Clendenen to the EMS Authority Board.
• A letter of support to the state regarding repairing the Locust Creek Covered Bridge.

The commissioners approved invoices then adjourned.