The following is an ‘Ask The Mayor’ question submitted to TLS, and the Mayor’s response. Email your questions for the Mayor to AskTheMayor@thelakewoodscoop.com.
Question:
Hi,
My neighbors and I all received a letter in the mail describing a planned solid waste transfer station (see attached). As you know, the operation of a solid waste transfer station entails unloading raw municipal waste directly from the garbage trucks onto the facility floor. The waste is then transferred via front loaders to open large trailers (18 wheeled) and finally driven out to landfill.
This will significantly compromise our neighborhood in many ways. The smell will be horrendous. The proposed station is immediately adjacent to the MUA water tower, the water lines run right by the proposed location. There will now be additional noise at all hours of the day and night. Increased truck traffic in an already congested area. Home values will be affected. Possible health effects. We are aware of many nearby Avenue Shop owners that have similar concerns.
I’d be surprised if any of the committee members associated with this project would approve this if it was near their homes. Thanks for your consideration.
A Woods resident.
Response from Mayor Coles:
Good morning
The station being proposed for Public Works is not a traditional Transfer Station. Those are designed to collect large quantities of waste, store and then transport them to large dumps many miles away.
What we need is a much smaller operation. I believe, the Ocean County landfill closes for the day at 3:00. We need a location for our second and third shift trucks to empty their loads and get back to work. The refuse would then be immediately loaded into trailers, which would be covered and prepped to go to the dump as soon as it opens in the morning. Nothing is left lying around. The trucks can continue their rounds and be much more productive. We actually get permission from the state for the past several years to do this during the Passover/Spring cleaning season, and nobody has noticed or complained. Our professionals are confident that there will not be an adverse affect to the neighborhood.
I grew up in Staten Island very close to the Fresh Kills Landfill, or Mount Garbage, as it was known then. I still remember the smell driving past it. I had friends who lived within nose reach of it. I would never subject anyone to that, especially the residents of this great town.
Ray
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But you would subject them to ridiculous ordinances.
Huge buildings on cross…
No rent control board…
Hide behind zoom meetings for years
But yet we should believe that this you wouldn’t subject them to…
And “temporary” school trailers that are permanent … can’t wait for the next hurricane…
Why can’t they just transfer the trash directly to the trailers? If it’s an immediate transfer this would save a lot of time and maybe even the need for a new facility!
According to a study posted on the NIH website (PMC8072713) “there was some evidence of an increased risk of adverse birth and neonatal outcomes for residents near each type of MSW site”, which includes transfer stations. The fact that people may or may have not noticed when you used it for short periods of times in the past does not mean that constant use of a transfer station would not affect neighbors, either to their health or quality of life. If the committee and/or whomever approved this is so sure that it won’t bother anyone would they be willing to be held personally liable if this does cause people to get sick or have their property values plummet or cause local businesses to lose customers? Would they be willing to subject their children or grandchildren to the increased risks noted in the study? You may say it’ll save the township some money but that may be offset by eventual settlements paid or legal fees to defend against lawsuits brought by people affected by this station.
o yes the cross st parking lot! all you need is one car stopped to make a turn on cross, and it backs up for blocks, totally no planning
U can take it out on the mayor and town all u want but that’s yet another county rd. The county is much worse in moving things along
Excuse me, who approved the overdevelopment of this area?
Lakewood Township.
Then why in the world is the township approving new schools & homes!?!?!?
The way it works in Lakewood is that projects are presented, and so-called “professionals” testify that they won’t cause any issues—even though it’s widely understood that this is unrealistic.
Later, when the predicted issues arise, the township shifts the blame to a third party, such as the state or county. This situation will likely be no different.
I have read for a very long time now the questions and answers to the Mayor. I am convinced that the Mayor is trying his best to help everyone. He grew up in Staten Island and he knows what is a bad smell. He thinks that this will not cause a bad smell like the dump in Staten Island.
The real issue is that ALL of the Vaad members live in a “protected”, small part of Old Lakewood, while the rest of the town is left unrepresented and unprotected.
While there are a number of issues raised by this proposal, the thing that jumps out to me is the fact that this is proposed for the location of one of the main water wells in town. Waste processing and treatment facilities are the first thing you want to protect your drinking water supply from.
whats wrong with a little egg water???