WASTE TRANSFER STATION PERMIT AT JB

WASTE TRANSFER STATION
PERMIT AT JB SALVAGE
OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
• Facts about the permit and process
• Who/where/what
• Concerns from the neighborhoods
• Appropriateness/need/traffic/safety/hygiene/expansion
• What we can do
• Petition/advocate/alternatives
• Resources and references
WHO
• Applying for permit:
• Vernal Pike Transfer and Recycling (JB Salvage)
• Opposed to permit:
• Neighborhood associations (Near West Side, Crescent
Bend, Maple Heights, Prospect Hill, Dandelion Village,
residents of Waterman Neighborhood)
• Considering permit:
• Indiana Department of Environmental Management
http://www.in.gov/idem/
JB SALVAGE
• 1983: Salvage yard granted use variance in
Residential Zoning
• Property was (auto) salvage yard before zoning (~1950)
• 1995: Improvements and expansion, same use.
• Currently operating in residential zone with use
variance for existing metal salvage operation
• Current operations:
• Metal recycling / scrap
• Auto salvage
WHERE
WHERE
• Map with zoning and map from H-T article
• 1.3 miles from the Square
WHAT
• Waste Transfer Station definition from EPA document:
EXAMPLES OF WTS
A SELECTION OF STUDIES ON WASTE
TRANSFER STATIONS
• Carbondale Colorado WTS (private research study)
• “A Regulatory Strategy for Siting and Operating
Waste Transfer Stations” (EPA Report number EPA
500-R-00-001)
• A guide to citizen involvement about Waste Transfer
Stations (EPA document EPA530-K-01-003
www.epa.gov/osw)
CARBONDALE
STUDY
EPA REPORT ON ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE
• Low income areas often have disproportionate
numbers of waste processing facilities
• The west side, an area with several low income
communities, already has sites with environmental
issues: Lemon Lane, Fell Iron (now BIM on Rogers St),
PCB underground water-treatment facility
STRATEGIES/CONCERNS DOCUMENT
• Common health and safety concerns:
(from EPA guide to WTS)
COMMON WTS ISSUES
• Smell/debris/litter
• Rodents/birds/pests
• Noise
• Runoff/pollution
• Property value decline
FACTORS FOR THIS AREA
• High-density residential neighborhood
• Considerable recent investment in area properties
• Near the start of the B-line trail
• Recently approved Eco-Village adjacent to WTS site
• Schools (Fairview, Headstart, Tri-North)
TRAFFIC AND SAFETY
• Potential for heavy truck usage in neighborhood
• Pedestrians and cyclists sharing roads with trucks
• Lack of traffic plan:
• City busses can’t use many of these streets because of
overpasses
• Can roads handle increased traffic?
SPECIFIC CONCERNS
• Zoning: Use variance in Residential Single-Family
zone is for metal salvage yard, and does not allow
waste transfer station.
• Permit application has received letters of support:
• City of Bloomington Public Works
• County Commissioners
• Local businesses in the area (Fleetwood and Bender)
WHAT TO DO?
• Advocate/talk at:
• City council
• County council
• Sign petition to county commissioners and IDEM
• Letters to the city, county, IDEM,
• Letters to the editor
• Call for IDEM-sanctioned public meeting
WHEN
• Permit submitted Nov 7 2012. IDEM will make
decision no earlier than 180 days (May 6 2013)
• Public comment period before the 180 days, but
currently unknown. Will be notified by letter when
plans are available for review.
• If application successful, the WTS open for business
starting this summer
ALTERNATIVES
• More recycling, less trash.
• Other trash concerns in the county: open a local
landfill? Consider other more efficient solutions?
REFERENCES / LINKS
•
Research Documents we used:
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WTS guide: www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/wtsguide.pdf
Environmental Justice/strategy
http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/nejac/waste-trans-reg-strtgy.pdf
Carbondale study: http://www.donttrashcarbondale.org/importantdocuments/bbc_report_carbondale_final.pdf
Links:
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http://neighborsagainstdowntowntrash.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/NADTTS
http://nearwestside.org/
http://www.crescentbendneighborhood.blogspot.com/
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!forum/near-west-advocacy-group
Media Coverage:
•
1 Feb 2013: Story on WFIU http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/bloomington-residents-worried-waste-facilityexpansion-44153/
5 Feb 2013: Story in the Herald-Times http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2013/02/05/news.plans-fortrash-transfer-station-upset-neighbors.sto
26 Feb 2013: Story on WFHB: http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-26-2013
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS