LORDSTOWN LANDFILL Session to allow questions on pact

Council will take no formal action at the meeting.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LORDSTOWN -- Though they approved the second reading to legislation creating a pact between the village and a local construction and demolition debris landfill, council members agreed to hold an information session to allow residents to ask questions about the agreement.
The meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the administration building on Salt Springs Road. It is expected to bring together legal teams from the village and Lafarge North America, the parent company of Lordstown Construction Recovery; the public; representatives from the Trumbull County Health Department; and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
While the meeting is open to the public, no formal action will be taken by council.
Neighbors' request
Several neighbors of the landfill on Newton Falls-Bailey Road attended Tuesday's meeting to ask council to hold off on approving the second reading of the legislation until several questions can be answered. They also requested the public informational session to address the agreement.
"As it's written, the agreement is of very little benefit to the residents of Lordstown," said Lauraine Breda, who heads Citizens Against Lafarge Landfill.
She questioned why the proposed agreement has no ending date, and if that meant there was no way for future negotiations between the village and the company. She also questioned a section that states LCR would not seek any licenses to operate a solid-waste dump at the site.
"That doesn't stop Lafarge from seeking the license under a different company," she said.
Councilman Richard Biggs said he is opposed to the landfill, but noted that legally the village cannot stop the facility from operating and that the proposed agreement gives the village some concessions.
"Anything we got in that agreement is a gift," he said.
What the law says
Under Ohio statutes, nothing regulates what days C & amp;DD landfills can operate, nor are operating times restricted. Under the agreement, LCR will only operate between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., and will not operate on New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
The agreement also sets height limits of debris to 200 feet; Ohio law does not regulate how high C & amp;DD debris can reach.
The agreement, which council is expected to vote on at the March 1 meeting, was negotiated in response to a lawsuit filed by the village against Lafarge North America. If the agreement is approved, the lawsuit will be dismissed from the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
slshaulis@vindy.com