Resident Karen Ellenberger is “exceptionally frustrated” about city hall’s proposal to build the new landfill north of town because she believes it’s too close and will devalue her property.
“They say it’s the only area that’s suitable for it, but that cannot be true (because) we’ve got huge land around,” the Wood Lily Drive homeowner said on Feb. 22, during an open house at the Events Centre about the future solid waste management venue, which attracted more than 100 people during both sessions.
Ellenberger believes the new landfill will generate excessive noise, while she believes birds will pick up garbage, fly away and drop it into nearby backyards; she has already experienced this since pigeons drop refuse into her yard from a nearby gas station.
People sitting with Ellenberger raised other issues, such as whether the city would clean up garbage from farmers’ fields, how trees planted around the venue could act as a buffer if they’re seedlings, and the fact city hall might consider moving its public works building and bus barn to the new site and increase highway traffic and affect safety.
The Express will have a separate story with comments from city officials.
Keith Delahey, 83, a lifelong resident, was blunt about the location: “It’s a stupid place to put a dump on high-(valued) land like that … . I think this is terrible.”
A fierce critic
Rural landowner Wilda Soper has been a fierce critic because her property is adjacent to the site. While she thought attendees were asking good questions, she wasn’t convinced city officials and their consultants were giving good answers.
In particular, she believes details are lacking, particularly the project’s budget and the initial phases. She’s been told such details would come “in the future” after the municipality receives permission from the Rural Municipality of Moose Jaw to use the land.
“(There are) lots of glossy pictures (but) many of them neglected to show where we and the other individuals live in the area,” Soper said.
One question Soper believes hasn’t been answered is whether the city has studied other sites; it has looked at other places but not studied them. She thinks the city should work with the province to study the east side of the current landfill comprehensively.
Several members of a rural committee attempting to overturn the site met with city officials in early February, with Soper saying there was “absolutely no indication” that officials would consider finding another location.
“No impact studies have been done on how it’s going to affect agricultural processes in our community … (or) on how it’s going to affect our lives … (or) on how it’s going to affect our income,” she continued.
Planes would no longer be able to spray area crops because the wind would push the chemicals onto the site and affect workers’ health, Soper added. This would lead to economic losses, which she doubted the city would compensate.
‘Not an ideal place’
Resident Sue Knox is concerned because her family’s farmland is east of — and adjacent to — Highway 2 and a stone’s throw from the venue.
City hall claims it can prevent garbage from blowing away from the new venue, but it can’t even do that at the current landfill, she said. Furthermore, she was concerned about how long it would take the trees to grow to be an effective perimeter buffer.
“So, it’s not an ideal place,” Knox said, noting the city should extend the landfill further east. “And it shouldn’t even be there (either) … . That’s an eyesore; this is going to be another one 20 years down the road when it starts out.”
The city purchased 156.09 hectares (390.23 acres) for the venue.
Possible land expropriation
Burk Reiman, the co-chair of the rural committee, said he was convinced that a billboard at the open house suggested that the city would expropriate the land from the RM if the latter rejected its discretionary use application.
The allegedly incriminating sentence on that billboard says, “Barring land use approval from the RM of Moose Jaw, the city will begin the Ministry of Environment landfill permitting process,” which includes acquiring a technical proposal and permits to construct and operate.
“It’s … (a) bull-in-a-China-shop, head-down-with-the-horns, do-what-you-want, clean-up-the-mess-later (situation),” he added.
