The Greensboro City Council voted 6-3 not to reopen the White Street landfill. Not that it was on the agenda, mind you; Council member Mike Barber said all he was asking was to take a look at the numbers.It was his duty as an elected official to be a steward of taxpayers’ money, Barber said, and it took more courage to take on controversial issues in the process.
Barber and fellow council member Robbie Perkins got into it a bit over whether or not the council that voted to close White Street had done an adequate long-term cost analysis. Barber said they didn’t, and Perkins countered that there was no way they didn’t.
Finally, city environmental services director Jeryl Covington (looking fine in a stylish spring hat, I might add) came to the podium. Basically Covington pointed out that instead of Republic Waste Service contracting with the city, the city was now contracting with Republic for waste disposal but not for transfer. The city owns a transfer station of its own, which is more expensive than Republic’s station because it’s enclosed. If I heard Covington correctly, she also pointed that, if the council in 2001 was determined to close White Street, the city got the best possible piece of land for the transfer station considering future permitting requirements plus its location next to a rail line for possible rail transport of garbage.
But the most interesting moment came when council member Dianne Bellamy-Small asked Covington point blank if, in her professional opinion, “based on the criteria that the council of 2001 gave you, do you feel the recommendations for where we are today made good sense?”
Covington gave Bellamy-Small a very awkward look before Barber broke in and stated that Covington did not recommend closing White Street at that time, a fact Covington confirmed. Covington said her recommendation was based on a “long-term capacity cost situation.”
Barber then read information provided by the North Carolina Division of Environment and Natural Resources stating that a complete, four-phase expansion of White Street would provide between 50 and 70 years of capacity. Covington confimed that DENR’s conclusion was based on information her office had provided.
So I think it’s apparent it was a hasty decision to close White Street. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong; it’s just one of those decisions taxpayers are going to have to live with. Let’s just hope Mike Barber continues to take on controversial decisions in the effort to perform his duty.
