7/31/2019 Effort continuing to derail Joppa waste transfer
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MATT BUTTON | AEGIS STAFFA solid waste transfer station has been
proposed on the Plecker property on Route 7 in Joppa. Several
Harford CountyCouncil members are concerned about the procedures
behind the proposed waste transfer station, and Councilman
Dion Guthrie said Tuesday he expected to introduce amendments to
remove the project from the capital budgetproposed for 2013.
Effort continuing to derail Joppawaste transfer station
Several Harford County Council members remainconcerned about the
process behind the proposed
waste transfer station in Joppa.Councilman Dion Guthrie said
Tuesday he
expected to introduce amendments during thatevenings council
meeting to remove the transferfacility from the capital budget
proposed for 2013.He and Councilman Joe Woods had also said
earlier they wanted an investigation into theprocess that went
into Harford County ExecutiveDavid Craigs decision to build the
$3.5 millionfacility.They are still discussing possibilities with
theattorney generals office, Guthrie said, explaininghe could not
say any more.
We have had some discussions and they arelooking into it,
Guthrie said, declining toelaborate.The already-contentious project
became evenmore convoluted when Guthrie and Woods metwith Col.
Orlando Ortiz, garrison commander ofAberdeen Proving Ground, at the
end of April.According to the councilmen, Ortiz, who is
retiring
this summer, said it was the countys decision topull out of a
waste disposal agreement with theArmy.Craig replied then that
Guthrie and Woods were
re-interpreting that conversation for political
purposes, and that the Army and the county hadcome to a mutual
decision.
The transfer station was also prominent duringthe councils first
budget hearing two weeks ago.About 100 people attended the hearing
at Bel AirHigh School to protest the project, with Guthrieand Woods
wearing T-shirts in support of theprotesters.On Tuesday, another
councilman, Dick Slutzky,
said he thinks more analysis of what went onbehind the scenes is
needed.Theres been a lot of what I would call he said,
she said, and a lot of hyperbole involved with thiswhole
situation, Slutzky said.He said the situation requires a serious,
in-depth
investigation, adding that with such a sensitiveissue, Harford
residents deserve to have theconfidence of knowing their elected
officials did allthe necessary research on their behalf.Slutzky
said the councils current slate, with the
budget process and the controversial fire andemergency medical
service commission, iskeeping all the council members very
busy.Most of us are under the same gun right now,
he said, explaining that any transfer stationinvestigation might
have to wait.I think when the dust clears from this budget
process, there will be more time for everyone to
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