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Sep 06
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Residents Speak Out Against County Waste Station

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Jersey Shore Online

HOWELL – Six residents spoke out at a recent council meeting about the proposed waste transfer station that the county is proposing to build at the intersection of Randolph Road and County Road 547, most of them living in close proximity to where the facility would be built.

The solid waste transfer station would be engineered to accept 1,500 tons of waste per day of bulky clean-up debris and bulky construction debris, according to a notice published by the county. Improvements would need to be made to the intersection of Randolph Road and County Road 547, which include adding a traffic signal.

“The county role in this is that they update their solid waste plan,” said Deputy Mayor Robert Nicastro during the meeting.

A public hearing on the facility was supposed to be held back on July 27 at a Freeholders meeting, but the hearing was canceled. Monmouth County spokeswoman Jennifer Nelson had said it was because they had not received unifying agreement from Howell officials.

Mayor Theresa Berger had penned a letter to be read at that meeting opposing the waste transfer station, and Deputy Mayor Robert Nicastro and Councilman Robert Walsh said they were in attendance before the hearing was canceled, prepared to voice their opposition as well.

Although Mayor Berger and councilmembers made it clear at the recent council meeting that the facility lies in the hands of Monmouth County and the State Department of Environmental Protection, residents who spoke seemed more concerned with the lack of notice they were given.

Eve Ostrowicki lives on Alexander Avenue, a quarter mile away from where the station would be built.

“I’m here to proclaim my dissatisfaction with our elected officials because this is the first time I’m hearing about this station, which is in close proximity to where I live,” she said.

(Photo by Micromedia Publications)

She pointed out pollution, noise, traffic in the area, and rumors she had heard about 300 trucks moving in and out of the facility.

Director of Community Development Jim Herrman said that there have been multiple meetings about the facility at the Solid Waste Advisory Council held at the Reclamation Facility in Tinton Falls over the past eight months, but that people aren’t really aware of what that council even is.

“People don’t really understand what the Solid Waste Advisory is and what they do,” he said. “If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you might not know what these are.”

Herrman also pointed out that the state is only required to send written notice of the proposed facility to people living within 200 feet, which is why Ostrowicki was not alerted.

Leon Pflaster, who owns all the property on Randolph Road, including Arnold Steel that employs over 50 people, was also not alerted.

“I am within 200 feet and I did not receive a notice. I have a tenant on my property who also lives within 200 feet, a separate address at 59 Randolph Road, and he did not receive any notice.”

Instead, he said he found out about the hearing for the solid waste facility two days before it happened.

The streets in the area, he said, are already constantly flooded with water after every rainfall and with dirt on dry days; with piles of mulch and dirt everywhere, as there’s no fences, barriers or proper drainage systems for the facility as it is, which is currently being used as a recycling center.

After doing some of his own calculations, Pflaster said his company transports about 800 loads of steel in and out of the facility all year. The solid waste transfer site, he said, would transport double that amount just in one week.

“We’re all for industrialization on our street, we have no problem with that, but it’s got to be the right kind of project, the right kind of industrialization,” he said.

Brandon Reo lives on Brook Road, between Oak Glen Road and Allenwood-Lakewood Road, what he called the “crosshairs” of all the traffic and trucks that come from Squankum Road over to East County Line Road, or down Arnold Boulevard and up Allenwood-Lakewood Road.

“The people impacted should have been notified,” he said.

Another resident who works at Middle School South said she lives a half mile away from the site, and that it’s her main transportation route to school every day. Right now it takes her 10 minutes to travel only four miles, and she can’t imagine what it will be like if the site is built, with all the added truck traffic.

Herrman pointed out that the transfer facility will be used to sort construction debris and is not a garbage dump.

“Everything has to be tipped inside the building,” he said, pointing out that it will be a high building, where everything is sorted inside into piles and put onto tractor trailers with loaders while still inside the building.

Mayor Berger asked officials to put the address of the Solid Waste Advisory Council on the township’s website so residents can write letters voicing their opposition, which has since been added to the site’s main page twp.howell.nj.us under “News.”

The address is Solid Waste Advisory Council, Monmouth County Reclamation Center, 6000 Asbury Avenue, Tinton Falls, NJ 07753, Attn: Stuart A. Newman, Solid Waste Coordinator.

Howell officials requested that any future meetings about the solid waste transfer station be held in Howell Township moving forward.

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Aug 01
0

Objections Arise to Proposed Solid Waste Facility in Howell

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CentralJersey.com

HOWELL – Municipal officials are objecting to a proposed solid waste transfer station a private company wants to build and operate on Randolph Road in Howell.

A public hearing scheduled by the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders for 1 p.m. July 27 in Freehold Borough was canceled when the freeholders told those who showed up to speak about the proposed facility that information had been received that rendered the company’s application incomplete.

The freeholders said the matter has been returned to the Monmouth County Solid Waste Advisory Council (SWAC). No new date for a public hearing on the proposal was announced.

 The proposed facility on Randolph Road in Howell would be operated by Resource Engineering LLC and would include a 25,000-square-foot main building, an 8,000-square-foot maintenance garage, a scale house and an office building.

Resource Engineering is proposing to accept 1,500 tons per day of bulky cleanup debris and bulky construction debris for sorting, removal of recyclable materials and subsequent transfer to an out-of-state facility for final disposal.

As part of the project, the applicant would improve the intersection of Route 547 (Lakewood-Farmingdale Road) and Randolph Road. A traffic signal would be installed at the intersection.

The plan has drawn objections not only from Howell officials but from other concerned parties, many of whom showed up in Freehold Borough on the afternoon of July 27 to make their feelings known to the freeholders.

Howell Councilman Bob Walsh and Deputy Mayor Robert Nicastro were among the attendees.

Nicastro said it is important to note the solid waste transfer station application is not under Howell’s jurisdiction. He said the application is under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“The process statutorily allows the municipality to make comments only. Over the past several years our staff and professionals have diligently reviewed the application and submitted several concerns and comments to SWAC,” Nicastro said.

Nicastro said he and Walsh have had several conversations about the issue with the freeholders. They were in attendance at the July 27 meeting and were prepared to reiterate comments the administration had already submitted.

“We respectfully requested that any future hearings (regarding the solid waste transfer station) be held in Howell,” Nicastro said. “Although the freeholders took no action on amending the county’s solid waste plan, which is required for this application, we suggest that residents who oppose this application contact the Solid Waste Division at DEP.”

Howell Mayor Theresa Berger prepared a written statement that was to be read at the public hearing and said, “I firmly believe this is something we do not want in our community and cannot accommodate in the proposed area.”

In a statement he provided prior to the meeting, Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said that “a garbage dump by any other name is still a garbage dump.”

“This facility is a garbage dump and the only difference is that they move the garbage out on a daily basis. Two hundred trucks a day going in and out of a facility will create massive amounts of noise and air pollution. Stormwater runoff could carry pollution into local streams. Along with the truck traffic, air pollution, noise, and smell, Howell could end up with a contaminated site right in their community,” Tittel said.

In a letter to Freeholder Director Lillian Burry, Republican state Sen. Robert Singer, whose district includes Howell, expressed concern that the public hearing was being held at 1 p.m. and that it was not being held in Howell.

“I understand the importance of improving the county’s solid waste infrastructure, but as with any such project, hearing concerns from local citizens is crucial to the approval process.

“That leads me to perhaps my biggest concern. Scheduling the public hearing for the amendments in the middle of the day outside of (Howell) does not give residents who would be most affected by this project the best chance to have their voices heard.

“I believe the meeting should be held in Howell at a more convenient time in order to provide as many local residents as possible with an opportunity to address the board,” Singer wrote.

The senator went on to say, “I don’t think this (scheduled meeting) is fair at a time during the summer when people are more likely to be thinking about their vacations than meetings about waste management projects.”

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Jul 28
0

Howell Neighbors Don’t Want Waste Transfer Station

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Asbury Park Press

FREEHOLD – Howell residents are fighting a plan to allow construction debris to be trucked in and out of a new facility in their neighborhood.

The neighbors say they’ve gotten scant information about a plan that would allow Resource Engineering LLC to build a solid waste transfer station on its property at 34 Randolph Road near the boundary with Lakewood.

Resource Engineering already operates a “Class B” recycling facility on the 10.4-acre property, which allows it to receive, store and process tree stumps, untreated wood and brush. It can collect 220 tons of material a day.

The proposed transfer station would accept between 1,200 to 1,500 tons of bulky waste, like appliances and furniture, as well as construction and demolition debris. That material would be processed in a 25,000-square-foot building that would be constructed on the site.

But neighbors said they are worried that if construction debris was accepted, it would lead to the processing of other garbage.

“There are a lot of unanswered questions here,” said Stephen Reid, an attorney who represents a competing recycling company and who was establishing contact lists with additional neighbors.

Monmouth County freeholders were  scheduled to have a mandatory public hearing Thursday on the proposal to add the waste transfer station to the county’s solid waste management plan but postponed it.

County Administrator Teri O’Connor said the county received new information that made the application incomplete and referred it back to the county’s Solid Waste Advisory Council.

 It’s not clear what the new information was, but the county had received conflicting information from Howell officials about its support for the waste transfer station.

Howell Township Administrator Jeff Mayfield sent Monmouth County letters in March and May saying the township would support the transfer station if improvements were made to Randolph Road, including widening the road, adding curbs adding a traffic light at Route 547.

Yet, a day before the public hearing, Howell Mayor Theresa Berger sent a letter to the county saying she could not support the project.

In the letter, Berger said those traffic improvements amounted to a “patchwork approach” that would do little to alleviate traffic concerns and nothing to address smog and noise.

Berger, who was out of the country, said in an interview with the Asbury Park Press that she did not think a solid waste transfer station was the right type of development for Howell. Watch the video above for questions that linger because of the development boom in nearby Lakewood.

“I don’t think it’s the best thing for Howell. Who wants to look in their backyards and see garbage from other towns?” she said.

Berger said she did vote for the project when it was before  Howell’s Planning Board, but said that she was handcuffed because the project technically meets the township’s master plan.

“It does not meet my expectations personally for Howell,” she said.

There were a host of other Howell residents as well as lawyers for competing recycling companies that opposed the plan.

Nina Rjedkin lives on Alexandria Avenue and worries that increased truck traffic from a transfer station would exacerbate the traffic she already faces. She estimated that her travel time to work would triple if the county allows the transfer station.

“It’s going to be a nightmare.”

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Jul 27
0

Watchdog Group: Proposed Howell Recycling Facility Stinks

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Shore News Network

HOWELL-This afternoon, the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders is expected to hold a hearing on a proposed recycling facility to be built on Randolph Road, near the border of Lakewood Township.

Under the plan, according to testimony by the Monmouth County Solid Waste Advisory Council, the facility will include a 25,000 square foot main building and an 8,000 square foot maintenance garage.  A scale house and office building are also part of the proposed waste station.

Many residents are balking over the proposal which will see 1,500 tons of construction debris and recycling waste traverse the sleepy single lane roads surrounding the facility shipped in by large commercial trucks.

Randolph Road is miles from any major thoroughfare in the area, including Interstate 195, Route 9 and the Garden State Parkway, leading many local residents wondering where all of that truck traffic will go.

“My family owns a business located less than a mile from here… 547 is already busy and this will become even more of headache for those who use this road on a daily basis,” said Richard Maida.

The only routes in and out of the facility would mean heavy commercial traffic will traverse local roads though Howell and Lakewood Township.   Allenwood-Lakewood Road, Lakewood Farmingdale Road, Squankum Road, Brook Road, County Line Road and others can see large increases in heavy commercial traffic if the Freeholders approve the project at today’s 1pm meeting.

On top of that, the Howell Township watchdog group, Howell NJ Strong published records on Wednesday that showed the firm being chosen for the project, Resource Engineering LLC, based out of a post office box in Farmingdale is owned by Robert French, the husband of recently retired Monmouth County Clerk Claire French, a longtime member of the Monmouth County GOP.

Shore News Network called the Howell Township municipal offices on Tuesday after learning about the application which before our publishing was progressing silently through the approval process.

No Howell officials we spoke to had any information on the project and some were even surprised when we told them what the project consisted of.

Today, we called the office of Freeholder Lillian Burry to ask about the find made by Howell NJ Strong, but a receptionist for the freeholder said Burry was in meetings and probably would not be able to return a phone call before the 1pm meeting.  We asked if the item will be still be heard on today’s agenda, and as of 11am, it was.

In a rare move, in a community that has been host to a struggle between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jewish residents, the two groups came together in opposition against this facility this week after its existence was learned.

The Lakewood Scoop, an online news source for the Lakewood Orthodox Community reported that the project could be the source of a possible recycling war between Monmouth County and Ocean County.

Ocean County receives grants and earns income to offset county taxes through their large recycling network which funds smaller recycling efforts in the local municipalities.

TLS suggested the Monmouth facility would take business away from Ocean County’s public recycling facilities and could end up in increased costs for the county’s operation.

“In addition, this facility would likely process much of Ocean County’s waste – particularly construction and demolition debris – which is currently processed by government contractors along with household waste,” TLS said.  “This would significantly raise the cost per ton for Lakewood and other Ocean County townships to process its household waste, which will significantly hurt taxpayers.”

This comment was confirmed with an Ocean County official who wished to remain anonymous.

We attempted to reach Ocean County Freeholder Director Joseph Vicari today to speak to him about the potential impact the Howell facility would have on Ocean County, but he was not available and we will update this article as soon as a phone call is returned.

Ocean County and several municipalities within the county operate recycling facilities, which are generally located on major thoroughfares in the their respective communities.

Still, others worried about the project’s link to the former county clerk.

“Crooked as a dog’s hind leg,” said Mark Lynch a member of the  Howell NJ Strong Facebook group.

“Nahhhh , no conflict there,” quipped Charles O’Donnell.

“We fought to close the landfill off Allenwood – Lakewood Rd back in the 80’s,” said Debbie Powell, a Howell resident.  “They took their time and $$ to only moved down the road to a new location to damage the area like they did back then, don’t let this go in it’s by a natural stream just like the old dump caused the fish to be deformed have tumor’s bad for the environment.”

“Why would MONMOUTH COUNTY include the facility in its Solid Waste Plan and take in 100 Diesel trucks a day mostly from Lakewood in Ocean County,” asked Peter Klymasz. “Seems to reason that Lakewood’s New Hampshire Recycling Plant has plenty of room and a better road system without the creeks under single lane roadways past folks homes.”

The hearing on the project is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 27th at 1pm at the Monmouth County Hall of Records.  Residents are invited to come out to express their opinions on this new facility.The construction of the facility will also require traffic safety upgrades on the roadways to accommodate the increase in heavy commercial and truck traffic in that area of the township.   A traffic signal and road improvements will be constructed at the intersection of Randolph Road and Lakewood-Farmingdale Road.

The facility will take in a steady stream of construction and demolition debris and operate Monday through Friday from 7am to 5pm and on Saturdays from 7am to noon.

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Jul 26
0

Opposition Expected at Hearing for C&D Facility in Howell

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EnviroPolitics Blog

Judging from the comments made already in responses
to a news story and from a letter written by a state senator,
a proposed construction and debris processing facility will meet opposition from some local residents at a hearing tomorrow night in Monmouth County’s Howell Township, NJ.

The Shore News reports:

A notice of public hearing has been published regarding the construction of a new facility in Howell Township to process 1,500 tons of solid waste on Randolph Road this week.
The meeting will take place on Thursday, July 27th at 1pm at the Monmouth County Hall of Records.  Residents are invited to come out to express their opinions on this new facility.
The construction of the facility will also require traffic safety upgrades on the roadways to accommodate the increase in heavy commercial and truck traffic in that area of the township.   A traffic signal and road improvements will be constructed at the intersection of Randolph Road and Lakewood-Farmingdale Road.
According to testimony by the Monmouth County Solid Waste Advisory Council, the facility will include a 25,000 square foot main building and an 8,000 square foot maintenance garage.  A scale house and office building are also part of the proposed waste station.
The facility will take in a steady stream of construction and demolition debris and operate Monday through Friday from 7am to 5pm and on Saturdays from 7am to noon.
In a letter, Republican state Senator Robert Singer, whose district covers parts of Monmouth and Ocean counties, wrote:
“This kind of facility could end up causing a lot of headaches for local residents. “I have a lot of concerns regarding the environmental impact of the facility, as well as the potential traffic problems it could create. I hope the Freeholder Board considers these issues as they discuss the future of this project.”
Jul 26
0

Senator Bob Singer Voices Concerns About Proposed Solid Waste Facility in Howell

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Senator Robert Singer (R-Ocean, Monmouth) wrote a letter to the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders to express his concerns about a proposed solid waste facility in Howell.

 

Sen. Robert Singer wrote a letter voicing his concerns about a proposed solid waste facility in Howell.

“This kind of facility could end up causing a lot of headaches for local residents,” Senator Singer said. “I have a lot of concerns regarding the environmental impact of the facility, as well as the potential traffic problems it could create. I hope the Freeholder Board considers these issues as they discuss the future of this project.”

According to a report by the Shore News Network, the facility will include a 25,000 square-foot main building and will process up to 1,500 tons of waste daily. The new construction will also require traffic upgrades near its location at Randolph and Lakewood-Farmingdale roads.

A public hearing is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 27, at 1 p.m. at the Monmouth County Hall of Records, in Freehold.

“I understand the importance of improving the county’s solid waste infrastructure, but as with any such project, hearing concerns from local citizens is crucial to the approval process,” Senator Singer said. “The residents of Howell — the people who will be most-affected by this project — should be given a better opportunity to have their voices heard.”

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Jul 25
0

Proposed Howell Solid Waste Facility to Process 1,500 Tons of Waste Daily; Hearing Thursday

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The Lakewood Scoop

Brookhill, Coventry, Whispering Pines, Raintree, the Estates, Somerset, Squankum Road to get New Neighbors – a Garbage Dump with Health Hazards, Odors, Animals, Rodents and More.

Trash, Odor and Traffic Headed towards Lakewood Howell Area? Local Residents Urged to Protest Plan at Sole Public Hearing – This Thursday! 

The area around the Lakewood-Howell border currently stands out for its green, serene and picturesque character. That is in danger of coming to an abrupt halt if a proposal to place a garbage dump in that area is approved by Monmouth County.

Under the proposal, a 33,000 square foot facility and maintenance garage will be built on 34 Randolph Road in Howell, just off Squankum Road. That facility will be able to process a staggering 1,200 tons of garbage each day. This would dump upon the area – which is close to the thriving Northern Howell and immediately adjacent to the Lakewood neighborhoods of Coventry, the Estates, Squankum, Somerset, Whispering Pines, Brookhill and Raintree – heavy odors, pollution, noise and a steady stream of major truck traffic.

In addition, this facility would likely process much of Ocean County’s waste – particularly construction and demolition debris – which is currently processed by government contractors along with household waste. This would significantly raise the cost per ton for Lakewood and other Ocean County townships to process its household waste, which will significantly hurt taxpayers.

This proposal is unfortunately pretty far down the pipeline. It has been recommended for approval by the Monmouth County Solid Waste Advisory Council and is pending a final vote by the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders this Thursday, July 27th.

If you want to preserve your neighborhoods – speak up now. It can still be stopped. There will be only one public hearing on this matter, shortly before the vote. The hearing will take place on Thursday, 1 PM, at the Monmouth County Hall of Records, Freeholders Meeting Room, located at 1 East Main Street in Freehold.

The Howell portion of the affected area is lightly populated. Howell residents and public officials are strongly opposed to the facility, yet many are afraid to speak up and, in any case, cannot present a massive show of force. On the other hand, there are thousands of Lakewood residents that will be hurt by having a garbage dump behind their house. And it affects every Ocean County property taxpayer.

Furthermore, it is speculated that the particular location of the proposed facility has been deliberately selected in order to discourage Lakewood residents from purchasing homes in Howell – an unacceptable and additional affront to our community.

If there is any chance for the public outcry to stop this proposal, it is imperative that Howell and Lakewood residents show up in force and make their voices heard. The Lakewood Vaad is actively lobbying Senator Robert Singer and others in a position of influence in Monmouth County to help stop the proposal. However, the public’s active participation is urgently needed as well.

A solid waste transfer facility belongs as far from population centers as possible – certainly not at the edge of a county, right near its neighboring county’s most bustling metropolis. The Lakewood community, at the grassroots level, needs to make its voice heard loud and clear on Thursday, in order to stop a dump from destroying our neighborhoods.

Jul 24
0

Proposed Howell Solid Waste Facility to Process 1,500 Tons of Waste Daily; Hearing Thursday

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Shore News Network

HOWELL-A notice of public hearing has been published regarding the construction of a new facility in Howell Township to process 1,500 tons of solid waste on Randolph Road this week.

The meeting will take place on Thursday, July 27th at 1pm at the Monmouth County Hall of Records.  Residents are invited to come out to express their opinions on this new facility.

The construction of the facility will also require traffic safety upgrades on the roadways to accommodate the increase in heavy commercial and truck traffic in that area of the township.   A traffic signal and road improvements will be constructed at the intersection of Randolph Road and Lakewood-Farmingdale Road.

According to testimony by the Monmouth County Solid Waste Advisory Council, the facility will include a 25,000 square foot main building and an 8,000 square foot maintenance garage.  A scale house and office building are also part of the proposed waste station.

The facility will take in a steady stream of construction and demolition debris and operate Monday through Friday from 7am to 5pm and on Saturdays from 7am to noon.

Below is the public notice published by the county.

Notice of Public Hearing Proposed Amendment to the Monmouth County Solid Waste Management Plan A public hearing concerning a proposed amendment to the Monmouth County Solid Waste Management Plan will be held at 1:00 pm on Thursday, July 27, 2017, at the Monmouth County Hall of Records, Freeholder Meeting Room, 2nd Floor, One East Main Street, Freehold, New Jersey 07728. The purpose of this hearing is to hear and receive comments from persons interested in or affected by the adoption of this amendment that is described below. Plan Amendment 2017-04 Amend the Monmouth County Solid Waste Management Plan to include a new solid waste facility in the Monmouth County Solid Waste Management Plan.

This proposed facility will be a solid waste transfer station, which will be operated by Resource Engineering, LLC. This new solid waste facility is proposing to accept type ID 13 solid waste (bulky clean-up debris) and type ID 13C (bulky construction debris) for sorting, removing recyclable material from, and transferring to an out of state disposal facility for final disposal. This solid waste transfer station is proposing to accept 1,500 tons per day of this material for transfer. As part of this amendment to the Solid Waste Management Plan, the applicant will also enter into a Developer’s Agreement with the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders to make improvements to the intersection of County Route 547 (Lakewood-Farmingdale Road) and Randolph Road, which include a traffic signal. Copies of this proposed Plan Amendment can be reviewed at the Municipal Clerk’s office of each municipality in Monmouth County as well as the branches of the Monmouth County Library System.

Written comments received by the County will be appended to the record of the public hearing and the record will be held open for written comments until 4:00 pm on August 4, 2017. Written comments should be sent to the Solid Waste Coordinator, c/o Monmouth County Reclamation Center, 6000 Asbury Avenue, Tinton Falls, NJ 07753. Any questions regarding this hearing or proposed amendments may be directed to Stuart Newman, Monmouth County Solid Waste Coordinator (phone 732-683-8686 ext. 8961)

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