Waste district refuses to fund road repairs

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

BOLIVAR - For the third time, Stark County's efforts to get $147,756 to pave roads near a landfill in southern Stark County were thwarted Friday.

The governing board of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District rejected a request from the Stark County commissioners to fund the roadwork near the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

The vote was 4-4. Five votes were needed for approval.

Voting to fund the road repairs were Stark County commissioners Jane Vignos, Todd Bosley and Tom Harmon and Wayne Commissioner Ann Obrecht.

Voting against were Wayne Commissioner Scott Wiggam and Tuscarawas commissioners Kerry Metzger, Jim Seldenright and Chris Abbuhl.

Wayne Commissioner Cheryl Noah was absent.

The garbage district board refused to approve the funds on June 1 and took no action on Stark County Engineer Michael Rehfus' request on May 4.

Rehfus said the asphalt on Dueber Avenue Southwest, Sherman Church Road, Gracemont Street and Fohl Street is crumbling.

Garbage trucks use the county roads south of Canton to get to and from the landfill.

Rehfus has said he may lower the weight limit on the roads to reduce the damage, but that could have a big impact on garbage haulers and on the landfill.

Countywide is troubled by the fact that the district will not fund the repairs, said general manager Tim Vandersall.

"To deny residents of Stark County roads that are safe is irresponsible, not to mention perplexing,'' Vandersall said.

Lowering the weight limit is not the answer because that will result in additional truck traffic, he said.

His landfill pays $2 million a year in tipping fees to the district and asking his company to pay more is unfair, he said.

The district wants to fund the work from its tipping fees, not its interest income. But the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will not allow tipping fees to be used for road projects.

Metzger said the district's landfill committee is working on a long-term policy on paying for road improvements near three landfills, but that review may not be complete until September.

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