Flea market to raise funds in landfill fight

By LINDA M. LINONIS

linonis@vindy.com

GIRARD

Put collectibles and clutter on sale Friday at G.U.A.R.D.’s flea market trunk sale. Make some money and benefit a community organization.

Girard United Against Ruinous Dumping will sponsor the fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lots of Creekside Golf Dome, 1300 N. State St. (U.S. Route 422), and across the street at Avon Oaks Ballroom, 1401 N. State St.

Vendors will keep all the money they make selling items; it’s $20 a vehicle to participate.

Richard Natoli, secretary of G.U.A.R.D., said proceeds from fundraisers go toward the organization’s legal expenses.

G.U.A.R.D. was organized in July 2005 and has 45 members. It meets the first Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. at Girard Free Library, 105 E. Prospect St. The next meeting will be June 1.

G.U.A.R.D. members also attend meetings of city council and the board of health.

The group opposes a proposed construction-and-demolition-debris (C&DD) landfill behind Creekside Golf on the north side of the city. “Our group isn’t against landfills. They’re necessary,” Natoli said. But, he added, C&DD landfills can pose problems including asbestos from old buildings and drywall, which gives off hydrogen-sulfide gas when it gets wet. “These can adversely affect your health,” he said.

Natoli said the city already has a construction-and-demolition landfill on the south side.

The proposed landfill would be 190 feet from the Mahoning River and a quarter-mile from Squaw Creek housing development.

On its website, www.nomoredumps.org, G.U.A.R.D. offers this statement: “We’re a group of residents and civic leaders dedicated to keeping potentially hazardous landfills out of our communities. G.U.A.R.D. is here to ensure a safe, toxic-free future for our friends, our neighbors and our children.”

For more information on the fundraiser, call Natoli at 330-545-4576 or Mary Mihalick at 330-545-4124.