What do our Board members gain by giving up local control of the height restrictions on Keystone Sanitary Landfill? All the community gains is more trash, health risks and the knowledge that our leaders will "sell us down the river."
Below are the questions FOL asked the Planning Commission last night along with their answers. We can only make our very educated guesses to why 4 members still chose to approve it--Al Senofonte, Thomas Pichiarella, Joseph Pinto and Gerard Michaels.
Should this pass at the level of Dunmore Council--and we have faith it will not--those who voted in favor will FOREVER have their names tied to the decision that compromised the health of their children, grandchildren and posterity and cemented the regions reputation as a dumping ground. History will hold them accountable.
Questions asked by FOL:
1) Does anyone on this board have any financial or business relationship with the owners of the landfill in any way? Answer: No.
2) When is the last time the Planning Commission voted to amend or change the Zoning Code to the singular benefit of one company? Answer: Never.
3) If the Borough adopted this proposed change, isn't it true that in effect, there would be no limit to how high the landfill could grow over time? They would be unregulated in how high it could grow? Answer: Yes.
4) Given that the Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission has declined to support KSL's request twice, how often does this Planning Commission go against the County recommendations? Answer: Never for all Board Members except Thomas Pichiarella who said once in the 7 years he has served, but couldn't remember what is was.
Excerpts:
DUNMORE — A divided borough planning commission voted Thursday to recommend a zoning amendment that would boost Keystone Sanitary Landfill’s expansion plans.
After listening to arguments from landfill lawyers and its opponents, the commission voted 4 to 3 to recommend amending the zoning ordinance to specifically say landfills aren’t structures. The amendment would allow Keystone, if state regulators approve its expansion, to continue piling trash higher than the 50-foot restriction on structures in the manufacturing zone where the landfill operates.
Commission Chairman Al Senofonte and members Thomas Pichiarella, Joseph Pinto and Gerard Michaels voted yes. Members Elizabeth Zangardi, Gary Duncan and Joe Grochowski voted no.
The argument moves to the borough council, the only body with the power to amend an ordinance. The council is scheduled to host a public hearing Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Dunmore Community Center, 1414 Monroe Ave., Dunmore, according to a legal notice.
Pat Clark, a Friends of Lackawanna member, said the amendment would benefit only one company and argued a previous Commonwealth Court ruling found landfills are structures. The zoning ordinance lists all the uses where height restrictions don’t apply and landfills aren’t among them, he said.
“That’s why we’re here,” Clark said. “Keystone is not here because they think it’s clearly not a structure. They’re here because they’re worried that it is (a structure) and Pennsylvania (court) case law says it is.”