MAHONING COUNTY Recycling division director continues to eye 'supersite'

Officials are seeking a spot for the multipurpose drop-off site.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- When Timothy Berlekamp announced the coming of Mahoning County's first recycling "supersite," he never dreamed it would take so long to get off the ground.
That was in January 2000, and he expected the facility to be built and operating later that year.
The idea hasn't been trashed, but so far, the plans are still in the hopper.
"It's still on the books, and I'd still like to do it sometime," said Berlekamp, director of the Mahoning County Recycling Division. "I still think it's a viable project."
Berlekamp had proposed a large drop-off site that would accept electronic items like computers, televisions and cellular telephones, as well as mattresses, appliances and other large items that can't be taken to traditional drop-off sites.
He had come to a tentative agreement with Springfield Township trustees for a location, but the plan fell through.
Re-examining the plans
The project has sat dormant since then, but Berlekamp said commissioners recently gave him permission to again move ahead. There's a meeting next week to re-examine the plans and begin trying to pick a site, said county Administrator Gary Kubic.
"We want this to work. It's a good idea," Kubic said. "We had a pause in the action, but now we're back on track."
The first order of business will be to settle on a site, Berlekamp said.
Boardman Township has expressed interest, but he's not sure he wants the first supersite in such a highly populated area.
"We just might end up deluged with material and not know how to handle it all," he said. That's why he preferred starting out in a more rural setting like Springfield Township.
Eventually, Berlekamp said he'd like to have similar sites at various points around the county.
bjackson@vindy.com