News-Record.com

Below is a commentary that I wrote several years ago that the News & Record refused to publish then:

Opponents of government programs often wrongly brand new initiatives as wasteful or extravagant when they simply oppose to the legitimate aims of the new plans. However, every now and then a program is proposed that truly is wasteful, where even those who support the goals of the program find it to be extraordinarily inefficient. The City Council�s proposal to close the White Street landfill is a textbook exemplar of government waste, which will cost taxpayers millions and provide only very modest benefits to the presumed beneficiaries.

According to press reports, closure of the present landfill will cost taxpayers $20.5 million the fist year, $13 million to operate the transfer stations and $7.5 million to haul the garbage to permanent sites somewhere else. The plan will cost the average household in town $220 the first year. However, this $20.5 million is not a one-time expenditure but an on going cost that will increase over time. If we assume that costs will grow along with population and that population grows 1 percent annually over the next 40 years (the expected life of the present landfill), the present value of the planned expenditure is $404 million, assuming a 5-percent discount rate. This is real money that does not have to be wasted on garbage handling. We all know of the many pressing needs of our community � better schools, roads, water, etc. � and wasting money on garbage will not make our city better or more attractive to the new industries that we need to recruit.

The presumed impetus for closing the landfill is to help the surrounding neighborhood, which is being damaged by the negative amenities of garbage hauling. I sympathize with those living near the landfill, but closing it is not the only way to help the families involved.

A drive down White Street or Nealtown Road reveals that there are at most 100 homes that front these two streets which form the principal access to the landfill. But for argument�s sake, let�s suppose that as many as 400 property holders are damaged in some way by proximity to the landfill. A much more efficient way to aid these families is simply to pay them directly for their suffering. Instead of spending $20.5 million the 1st year to close the landfill, the city could pay each of the 400 households a little more than $50,000. Using these monies, the families might decide to buy new homes elsewhere in the city or to improve their lives in other ways. Paying the families directly would save the city the money that it will have to spend beyond the 1st year if it chooses to close the landfill. This is no small change. It amounts to some $383.5 million, money that is so urgently needed to improve the quality of life in our city in other much more important ways.

Before our city moves further along with closing the landfill, I think that residents in the affected neighborhood need to be consulted. Let�s ask them what they want. Would they rather close the landfill or receive cash grants from the city? I predict that the residents will strongly prefer the cash grants. Why not ask? We stand to save an enormous amount of money.

I'd wonder what's in it for Barber (personally). He must be looking out for one of his own real estate deals or developer buddies. Clearly he's not concerned with the neighbors of White St.

If the landfill reopens, the city should use all the money saved to improve the affected neighborhood, to mitigate the stench and truck traffic residents have to endure, and loss in their property value. Alternatively, they could offer affected residents a break on their property taxes -- just as they do for so many businesses. The energy sold to power companies that is generated from landfill methane should also go into a fund, specifically for improving that neighborhood, or for incentives for new small, locally-owned businesses in that part of town. A well-managed commercial kitchen is something other communities have had success with, in spurring small local business.

After reading the article in today's news & record my blood began to boil. I can't not believe that anyone who moved near the White Street landfill area after 1940 has any rights to complain.

Closing the landfill for household waste might have been one of the most irresponsable actions ever taken by our city council.

I still can't believe that the city had to reach a settlement with the residents of Nealtown Farms.

The City Council should have never allowed or approved any development in or around the White Street Landfill area after 1940 without requiring a signed affidavit to acknowledge that the buyer or renter was moving into an area in or around a landfill and that the city would have the right to use the landfill in the most effiiecent means allowable by City, State and Federal regulations.

People purchase properety eveyday. What they pay is based on the value of a particular location.

We moved to Greensboro 20 years ago. We couldn't afford a lot that backed up to the 9th green of some country club or did we want one. What we could afford was near the airport.

When the airport authority decided to expand to support the new Fed X hub, we were not happy but we knew when we moved to this area that we moved near the airport.

We didn't ask the city council to close down the airport.

We didn't sue the city.

We didn't ask to move the airport to the White Street area.

I cant believe that this neighborhood was built with full knowledge the city dump was so close.

How can someone buy a house knowing that the city dump is going to be in thier back yard and then call it racism if you dont close it down.

Where is common sense gone?

This is ridicoulous use of tax payers dollars
It cost everyone(black and white) in the end.

The city commissioned an engineering study in 1995/96 that was later updated in 2001 concerning the White Steet landfill. The study recommendation was continuation of the landfill project as the least expensive of four options: 1) resource recovery; 2) White St. continuation; 3) a new in-county landfill; 4) an out-of-county disposal. The fourth option is the one that is being used by the city, and it is roughly 73% more expensive to operate, on a per household basis, than the White Street landfill. The study can be found on the city website.

I have spoken with several former department heads and a former member of engineering about the White St. landfill. All said basically the same thing: White St. has many years of useful life remaining, and it contains superior technology for dealing with household waste disposal. The city manager failed to mention the expended costs on White Street that are lost in moving to a transfer system. Someone paid for the White Street capital improvements: do you want to guess who?

Overcoming landfill permitting hurdles seems inconsequential when compared to a potential cost savings in the hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 30-40 years. The need for responsible muncipal financial management and lower tax rates far outweighs the concerns of any one neighborhood. This is what responsbile government is all about.

The White Street landfill should never have been closed to household waste. That was it's original purpose and any people who purchased homes after 1940 paid less for their homes because this was obviously a less desirable place to have a home. Location! Location! Location! Those who voted to close the landfill to all but industrial waste did so to appease a certain small segment of the community at the cost to the rest of the community for purely political reason and against common sense, consideration of all citizens living and paying taxes in Greensboro and the two outside expert opinions concerning the use of the White Street landfill. This is a huge expense to pass on to those who paid much more for their homes by choosing to buy elsewhere. Now our tax dollars are being extorted from us to increase the value of the homes of those who deliberately purchased in a less desirable and therefore cheaper homes. I was especially put off by the claim of environmental racism! I am so tired of the race card being used again and again in Greensboro/Guilford! Why are we always made to save fools from their own folly? Brenda Bowers

Closing of the White Street Landfill was probably one of the most irrresponsible actions the City Council has ever taken. The only "downfall" to the neighborhoods was the truck traffic. The smell did not come from the landfill, but instead a sewage treatment plant. Closing the landfill was just another political ploy to calm those claiming environmental racism. Why is it always racism in this community? I just don't understand it. The city landfill was no more damaging than what the State has recently done to the poor residents of Southwest Greensboro with the horrific noise from a urban loop that turned into a terrifying interstate. The southwest part of Greensboro is a "blended" community. I wonder if the State has also committed environmental racism with the noise and air pollution this road is causing. It's time to save the taxpayers millions of dollars and close down the transfer station.

Regardless of whether it is racism or not -- the fact remains that the entire city's garbage is disproportionately affecting someone else's well-being, and that is simply not fair. Whether they are white, black, purple, poor or rich -- the homeowners should be compensated somehow for having to put up with the entire city's garbage and septic waste. Yes, even if that was the only home they could afford, and they moved there with the full knowledge that the landfill and sewer was there, and would continue to grow.

I live close to a high school.
Friday night football game noise bothers me.
Car radio noise bothers me.
Can we please close down this school.
LOL

It's issues such as the White Street landfill that remind me how mean and uncaring some Greensboro citizens can be.
Not one of the writers in favor of reopening the landfill volunteered their neighborhood for the sake of fiscal responsibility.
Not one seemed to care about the stench residents had to endure.
Not one remembered that housing options were limited(due to racial discrimination) for people like Harold and Clara Fields.
If you read Jeri's story and only saw $$$, read it again.

My question is whether extensive soil and groundwater testing has ever been conducted outside the immediate perimeter of the landfill? According to a recent Washington Post story:
"A closed landfill in Loudoun County that health officials say probably contaminated nearby residential wells with a toxic chemical was added yesterday to a federal registry of the nation's most hazardous waste sites. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added the 25-acre Hidden Lane Landfill in Sterling to its National Priorities List of Superfund sites. The designation means the agency will begin assessing the extent of the pollution and develop a plan to remove it, although it could take several years for the cleanup to be completed, said Roy Seneca, an EPA spokesman." So wouldn't it make sense that any landfill near residential areas should be required to conduct soil and groundwater testing around its perimeter to monitor potential contamination? And that those results be made public as soon as they become available? (Are residents on city water there?)

This landfill should not be closed. It has some state-of-the-art technology that was put into place years ago to monitor and collect and leachate (leaking water) that could potentially contain toxins. This material is easily collected for disposal. The landfill is in a great location, it has great geology for this type of activity, and there is ample buffer to keep the foul odors from eminating off site. Additionally, the area could easily be retrofitted with odor control equipment to keep odors to a zero level at the property boundaries.

The landfill has many potentially good years of life left.

On behalf of the Nealtown Farms residents and others, they should be entitled to restitution for putting up with the place for all the years. What I would suggest is the city either buy them out, move them to a new location, including purchasing the property for them, or they can keep their head in the sand and ignore the citizens. The people that live there have rights and should be afforded due process.

The bottom line is the city's notion to relocate this landfill for any reason at this time is totally irresponsible. Anyone on the council that would support such a notion ought to make the first $100 million in payments for the new facilities. The costs to the taxpayers in the community CANNOT be justified under any circumstance.

Yes, reopen the landfill for all of the above soundly argued reasons. Pay
the homeowners if necessary. Whatever. But this will be, I predict, a
classic case of democracy not in action. The little guy scenario will
thwart any reasonable attempts to do the reasonable thing. Taxes will go
up.

I believe the last council was the most incompetent in Greensboro history. Anything the black council members complained about, they got their way. Just scream racism . The closing of the landfill was one of the their more stupid decisions next to Homestead. Thank God most of them are gone.

I also believe the landfill should of never been closed. Most people knew what was their neighbor when they moved there. I live near Wendover and near the fire deparment i realized there would be noise and growth but i still moved here. It was an issue of what I could afford yes but that was my decision. I do not feel I have a right to ask city to do something about the noise because I am here. That is the problem with the landfill they shoud of known when they bought. I do not even fill we should compisate them the have had a lower tax on their homes for years due to location, there are other neighborhoods i found some!

I a happen to live in the area of the White St landfill, and because I was not from Greensboro I had no idea I was moving near a landfill because my realtor did not disclosed that information to me. I feel that the landfill should remain close for household waste and for those of you that would like to have the landfill reopen for household waste, I have a great suggestion and that would be to consider plans for opening a landfill in your area. And yes if the landfill were in an all white community there would be NO discussion at all of reopening the landfill.

It seems that Greensboro is missing the chance to have a larger discussion here. Imagine the money that could be saved and the health of people protected, the land preserved if Greensboro actively spent funds to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. The White St. landfill accepts construction debris? Why can't this be diverted to recycling and reuse. We need to stop looking at why and how we got the White St. landfill and begin focusing on what we do with it now that we have it. We should hasten its closure so that we can begin the discussion about what it will take to turn this large piece of urban land into a benefit for the residents of East Greensboro. Landfills all over the country are reclaimed for parks and ball fields. Parks and ball fields are excellent capital projects that spur adjacent development. Anyone want to see the view you can get from the top of the landfill? I would.

The White Street landfill should remain CLOSED!! If there was any kind of concession/price reduction given to the homeowners (which was probably very small) when they purchased their homes, the concessions have been re-paid many times over (through taxes and reduced home values). The residents have also had to endure many years of deplorable conditions as a result of the landfill. Mike Barber and others in support of re-opening the landfill seem to be more concerned with saving a dollar so they can continue giving big corporations more welfare money than the adverse affect it will have on the lives of the many people that live in and around the White Street area. I have a great suggestion for Mike Barber on how to save money and end the complaints....require Mike Barber and his faithful followers in favor of re-opening the landfill to move into the area, then he could save money for his welfare corporations and stop complaints about the stench, traffic, and other problems this landfill will create. Mike Barber needs to try to concentrate on ways to help move the entire city of Greensboro forward and not keep going backwards.

"Mike Barber needs to try to concentrate on ways to help move the entire city of Greensboro forward and not keep going backwards."

This thread has many responsible comments about the folly of closing the landfill. The comment from which the above quote is excerpted is not one of them.

Let's read Bill Knight's words from above again:

"The need for responsible municipal financial management and lower tax rates far outweighs the concerns of any one neighborhood. This is what responsible government is all about."

Correcting the bad decision to close the landfill IS moving the city forward.