PROPERTY OWNERS OBJECT TO JACKSON LANDFILL SITE

JACKSON -- A group of property owners who live in the vicinity of the Jackson municipal landfill are objecting to the proposed sale of the landfill to a private waste-management company.

Instead, they want the city to close the landfill immediately.

The Jackson Board of Aldermen will discuss the lease-purchase sale of its 100-acre landfill in executive session on Monday.

Two private waste-management companies, Browning-Ferris Industries and Continental Waste Management of Cape Girardeau, made similar landfill-takeover proposals to the board during its Jan. 24. Both propose turning it into a regional landfill that would serve seven to 10 counties.

A spokesman for the property owners, Glenn Birk, 1036 County Road 341, said they want the landfill closed as soon as possible. The 10 property owners live within a short distance of the landfill. Birk's farm and residence is about one-eighth of a mile northeast of the landfill.

Birk said the property owners, most of whom live along County Road 341, plan to meet with the board of aldermen on Monday prior to its executive session.

Earlier this week Birk sent copies of a letter to each alderman explaining the property owners' position. Birk said his major concern is trash and debris blowing onto his property from the landfill. Birk and his neighbors are also concerned about the quality of their well water and possible contamination from the landfill.

Said Birk: "I have to pick up debris from County Road 341 and remove nails from our flat tires. I understand that all trucks hauling trash to the landfill are required to be covered so that nothing is lost along the road.

"I would estimate that, excluding city-owned trash trucks, only 10 percent of the trucks that haul trash to the landfill are covered with a tarp. It's just normal to have a lot of paper and plastic blowing onto our fields."

Birk said he can document occasions when large amounts of paper and plastic blew onto his property. He said the landfill is surrounded by a four-strand barb wire fence that does little to keep blowing debris confined to the landfill.

Birk said, "Anyone who is familiar with a barb wire fence knows how much paper and plastic it will deter.

"As long as the city of Jackson owned the landfill, we more or less condoned these conditions and said very little about them because of our loyalty to the city of Jackson and our pride in living in the Jackson area," said Birk. "But we can neither be loyal to nor proud of a regional or private landfill operator. We cannot put up with these same conditions.

"We take pride in the appearance of our farms, our buildings and our homes and surroundings, and try to keep it looking as pleasant as possible, to the point of picking up paper and plastic that has blown onto our property from the landfill or blown out of trucks en route to the landfill."

Birk said he and other property owners are also concerned about the increase in truck traffic on the county road and possible damage that may be done to the road by heavier trucks.

Said Birk: "When the landfill farm was originally purchased by the city, there were deliberate efforts made by the city to keep the neighbors from knowing about the negotiations. When we finally did hear about it, we accepted it like loyal citizens ... a mistake we shouldn't have made.

"We feel like we have made enough sacrifices for the city, and we do not want the city to sell the landfill to someone who will have no civic pride or responsibility, and whose only motive will be to make the maximum amount of profit possible."

Mayor Paul Sander said he could not comment on the contents of Birk's letter since he did not receive a copy. But, he said: "I'm sure a lot of their questions and concerns will be answered Monday night. They are more than welcome to come to the meeting and discuss their concerns with the board before it goes into executive session."