Rogers Road landfill will officially close in 2013

Residents of the Rogers Road-Eubanks Community can finally mark their calendars for the exact closure date of the Orange County landfill.

County commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to close the controversial landfill on June 30, 2013. It has been located in the historically black and low-income neighborhood for 40 years.

The closure will incur roughly $3 million in costs for the county, which commissioners said they hope to pay for using reserve funds.

Commissioners also unanimously voted for the creation of a task force for the Rogers Road Community, which would be comprised of two members each from the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, two members from the county, and two members from the Rogers Road-Eubanks Neighborhood Association.

Commissioners Valerie Foushee and Pam Hemminger volunteered to serve on the task force, which was commissioned to look into the possibility of county-provided sewer hook-ups for the historic Rogers Road Community, as well as the creation of a community center for those residents.

The task force will present its findings in December of this year.

Commissioners said they worried how the closure date would affect the towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough.

“By choosing this specific date, all municipalities can budget for this change and prepare for it,” said County Manager Frank Clifton.

Following this decision, commissioners discussed the possibility of a waste transfer station proposed for the intersection of N.C. 86 and Interstate 40 within Orange County’s rural buffer — a decision commissioners ultimately voted against.

Fifteen residents spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, and 14 explicitly opposed the proposed location of the transfer station.

Sally Council, a resident who lives near the current Orange County landfill, said she felt the proposed location, located 1.5 miles from the current site, is still an issue for rural residents.

“We are struck by how the problem of where we have to take our trash has not been kicked down the road but kicked around the same block,” she said.

Commissioners also voted for the county to enter into formal negotiations with the city of Durham to use Durham’s transfer station.

Commissioners said they were worried about proposals for waste transfers stations within county lines because they were unsure of Chapel Hill’s position on its waste disposal.

Chapel Hill is the largest contributor to the current landfill and is deciding whether it will still work with the county.

“At this point in time, I don’t think we should even be discussing a waste transfer station,” said board chairwoman Bernadette Pelissier.

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