TRUMBULL COUNTY How will landfill open when zoning forbids one, woman asks

Trustees said they could not openly show support to the effort to stop the landfill.
HUBBARD -- An upcoming Aug. 18 public hearing by the Trumbull County Board of Health concerning a proposed landfill spurred an inquiry to township trustees Monday about zoning regulations.
The 7 p.m. hearing at Hubbard High School will allow people to comment on Trans Rail America Inc.'s request to the health board for a license to operate a landfill on Drummond Avenue in Hubbard Township.
Thornton Road resident Vickie Mattessich recalled a time when one of her neighbors tried to get his land zoned commercial so he could open up an auto repair shop there, and was turned down by the zoning board. That ended his attempt to start a business on her street, she said.
Since her neighbor could not get his property rezoned, she wondered how Trans Rail officials had a chance at getting a landfill onto a property that is zoned light industrial.
Explanation
After the meeting, township Trustee John Dowell explained that because the site is zoned light industrial, operators aren't legally allowed to work in an outside environment.
Dowell went on to explain that Trans Rail would have to do one of three things to get the landfill up and running: it could get the township to rezone the area heavy industrial, take the case to Trumbull County Common Pleas court or figure out a way to put a roof over the landfill site, where there are cranes and other large machines operating on a daily basis.
Dowell conceded that it is unlikely that the company would build a roof over the site. He did say, however, that anyone has a chance to challenge zoning laws in court.
The fact that Mattesich's neighbor didn't go so far as to take his plea for a zoning change to court doesn't mean that Trans Rail won't, trustees explained.
To the chagrin of Mattessich, who is a member of the Hubbard Landfill and Land Preservation group (HELP), trustees said they could not openly show support to the effort to stop the landfill.
Trustee Fred Hanley said if he or any other trustees were to openly show any bias against the landfill, Trans Rail could use it to get trustees' zoning powers in relation to the landfill revoked.
Hanley said trustees don't show up at public meetings in regard to the landfill "because it is in the best interests of the township for us not to be there."