ACAL News

Recent Documents...

News Updates...

A couple of weeks ago, I saw the old phrase, “Don’t give up the ship” plastered on billboards and signs throughout Erie, Pennsylvania.  The phrase was the final command of James Lawrence during the Battle of 1812.  His close friend, Commander Oliver Perry, had the words made into a battle flag, which flew against the British on Lake Erie.  Working to keep the Flagship U.S. Niagara and the Erie Maritime Museum financially afloat, the citizens of Erie have fittingly resurrected the familiar phrase once again.

I recently read several Letters to the Editor in the Boonville Herald from residents concerned about the stench, potential health hazards and negative environmental impact stemming from the landfill.  All of the letters called on local citizens to demand that something be done about the air pollution.

In 2005, ACAL members spent many months creating a detailed landfill timeline, which is available on their website.  Worth mentioning here, are a couple of relevant quotes from that timeline.

In the March 22, 2000 issue of the Rome Daily Sentinel, the former Waste Authority executive director was quoted as saying, “…All of the waste that is brought to the landfill is covered each and every day so that odors that might be generated are stopped at the beginning.”

He also said:  “I would not be involved in this [constructing a landfill in Ava] if I had any belief that this kind of facility would have a negative impact on the environment.  This is the most environmentally sound way to handle solid waste.”

So here we are, in the middle of a hot summer in 2011.  There is a definite stench coming from the landfill and it can be smelled miles away.  Local citizens need to know:

 1.  Is the waste that is brought to the landfill, at all hours of day and night, being covered “each and every day”?

 2.  How does the Authority plan to address the current air pollution problem originating from the landfill site?

 Over the next few weeks, ACAL will be providing a list of addresses, phone numbers, websites and email addresses so folks can start getting some answers about the air pollution coming from the landfill.  In the meantime, please don’t give up the ship!

By Jacki Chamberlain, ACAL Vice Chairwoman