DUNMORE — Prompted by concern for “future generations,” one Lackawanna County commissioner declared his position on the Keystone Sanitary Landfill expansion for the first time Saturday.
Commissioner Patrick O’Malley said he opposes the proposed expansion because of its sheer size. He is the only commissioner so far to take a position.
Keystone landfill owners Louis and Dominick DeNaples have applied for state permission to build a pile of waste 220 feet higher than its current peak, extending the landfill’s life by almost 50 years.
“It will be forever a monument to out-of-state garbage,” Mr. O’Malley said. “While it may have short-term benefits, no one can predict the long-term impact.”
He added that he might reconsider his position with a smaller expansion.
Some residents living in the Dunmore and Throop neighborhoods closest to the landfill were also willing to offer their opinions Saturday, though most declined to comment.
About 850 people live within a mile of the center of the 714-acre property, according to 2010 U.S. Census data.
“I sure don’t like it, but I sure don’t see what anybody’s going to be able to do about it,” said Jim Pope, who lives on the north end of Flynn Street, a little more than a quarter mile from the landfill’s southern edge.
Since he moved there roughly 35 years ago, he’s watched the landfill grow. Dust that he suspects floats over from the landfill sometimes coats his house. Once or twice a year, he notices a foul smell in the morning.
He fears the added height might significantly affect the view from his home. Kathy, his wife, wonders about its long-term impact on public health.
Most of all, Mr. Pope thinks building a mountain of mostly out-of-state trash will hurt property values and the region’s reputation in the long run. “Who’s going to come here, who’s going to buy property there any more?” he asked.
Throop resident Joseph Nasser has never had an issue with the landfill.
Mr. Nasser lives in Schoolside Estates, a little over a mile from the landfill’s northern edge. The neighborhood is one of the closest in Throop.
From his home, he can’t see it or smell it. He said the smell hasn’t even been a problem at his accounting firm’s office on Dunham Drive, right next to the facility.
“We’re not impacted by it at all,” he said, adding that those who do have concerns should be able to voice them.
Jill Magliocchi, who lives on the same street as Mr. Nasser, does smell the landfill frequently. She said she’s smelled it from all corners of Throop.
“No matter where you go in Throop, it’s the same,” she said.
Asked about what would happen if the landfill closed and Throop stopped receiving host fees, she said she wouldn’t want to see property taxes increase.
“Our taxes in this development are much too high already,” she said.
Answers about the landfill’s future are many months away.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is almost finished determining whether Keystone’s expansion application is complete. After that, they can begin reviewing the application for its technical merits, which will ultimately lead to a decision.
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What’s next
■ Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Colleen Connolly said DEP is almost finished with its review to make sure Keystone’s application is complete.
■ After that, the department will announce public hearing dates and begin a technical review, which will ultimately lead to approving or denying the expansion.
■ Last week, the department replaced waste management program manager William Tomayko, who retired at the end of October, with Roger Bellas, who for around 20 years worked as environmental group manager in DEP’s air quality program, Ms. Connolly said.