Residents Express Concerns During Public Hearing Regarding Solid Waste Transfer Station Location in Union Co.

Depreciation of property values, increase of traffic, hazard for motorists and school traffic, an increase of traffic accidents and the smell were the main concerns expressed by Union County residents regarding the construction of a solid waste transfer station off US 60 West on McFall Road.

A crowd of around 50 local residents packed the Union County Family Courtroom at the Union County Courthouse Tuesday night for the public hearing regarding the application filed with the county by Tri-County Waste owner, Gus Kanipe, to construct a solid waste transfer station.

Judge Executive Jody Jenkins opened the public hearing for comments and gave each individual seven minutes to speak  Gus Kanipe, accompanied by his attorney Dennis Conniff of Frost, Brown and Todd in Louisville, was the first to speak about his plan for the solid waste transfer station.

Next at the podium was Grover Fischbeck said he didn’t understand the format of the public hearing and wanted to know if they were ask questions to Gus, or were they suppose to just make comments. At that time, Tri-County Waste’s counsel, Dennis Conniff, spoke up.

Following his statement, Fischbeck said he has been following this from the beginning and he was there on behalf of himself and other concerned residents. He stated they have many concerns, including an increase in traffic on McFall Road and creating additional hazards. He stated McFall Road is a very narrow road, not designed for commercial traffic, and it is a residential and agricultural area, not a commercial area.

He expressed other concerns that included who would handle the dust that would be stirred up during the dry season, what about cleaning the mud off the roadway during the rainy season, who would be responsible for picking up the trash that falls off the trucks, how often would they be picking up the litter, how would the runoff be handled, the smell and rodents at the site.

Fischbeck concluded by saying there are industrial parks within the county designed to handle this kind of traffic.

He also stated that home values would go down affecting all nine homes on McFall Road. In addition, he said if the site is approved he asked Fiscal Court to please not have the entrance on McFall Road. Fischbeck said he understands the need for the transfer station, but Gus’s location is not suited for the county.

Following Fischbeck’s comments, Cathy Disney of State Route 666 spoke and stated that she had lived behind the dump for 19 years and she understands everyone’s concerns, but she has never had a problem with the dump.

She went on to say she understands the traffic issue because she too lives on a narrow road and she has pulled many people out of vehicles, because buses, cars and trucks speed through there and she understand the safety of the high school students. She says the drivers are respectfully and don’t throw anything on the ground. Disney said she hopes they can come to an agreement and make the right decision.

Disney was followed by Clint Nalley, Troy Nalley, Steve Oxley, Mike Stone and Jenna Collins who presented similar concerns. Everyone voiced their understanding of the need for the transfer station, but they felt there were better locations in the county, including the industrial parks.

Following the comments, Judge Jenkins read call-in comments from six individuals who voiced the same concerns as previously stated.

District 4 Magistrate Joe Wells was the only magistrate to speak during the public comments. He thanked the crowd for coming and voicing their concerns, and stated they would get the answers to their questions.

Judge Jenkins then presented the crowd a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet highway safety study conducted regarding a commercial entrance for the transfer station on McFall Road.

Prior to the public hearing, I spoke with County Attorney Brucie Moore regarding the next steps of the process.

It will be 60 days from last night’s public hearing before a decision will be made by Union County Fiscal Court.