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Show y nimit Coyoty plamnmeirs put off Rockport landfill The Summit County Planning Commission Tuesday temporarily turned back the Summit County Commission's request for approval of a landfill site on the west side of the Rockport Reservoir. The 4-2 vote tabled a request for a conditional use permit for the site, after board member Van Martin said the county should "put the horse before the cart" by asking for his approval after the state health department reviews the site. The motion was approved by Commissioners Martin, Kristen Rogers, DelRay Hatch, and Bob McGregor, while Commissioners Lamar Pace and Brent Ovard voted against it. The county commission, meanwhile, mean-while, said the board should approve the site, pending state review because it needs to move as fast as possible through the long study and approval process. Commissioner Tom Flinders said it is costing the county a "tremendous amount" of money to transport garbage to the landfill in Henefer, at the northern end of the county. Approval for the site was opposed by a group of Rockport residents, who said the landfill would create a visual eyesore, and stink, and devalue their property and pollute water draining into the Rockport Lake. In response to Martin's call for more information, the County Commission scheduled a field trip with the planning board to visit both Rockport and the Brown's Canyon landfill site, which has been previously approved by the county and the state. Commissioners said the Rockport site would be economically easier to operate and maintain than the Brown's Canyon location. Leavitt said the 115-acre site lies north of the Ute-Lite plant, which creates construction con-struction material, on west Rockport. He said it is separated by steep terrain from Rockport Estates on its north edge, and is at least 660 feet from a residential property line. The landfill would operate for about 40 years. Leavitt said that unlike Brown's Canyon, the Rockport site already has an access road and it would not have the amount of snow problems in the winter. Stan Strebel, county general services director, noted the Rockport land was offered to the county at a set price by Carston Mortenson, an officer of the Ute-Lite Co. The offer was first made to them, he said, in March of this year. The commissioners commission-ers told the Record they could not disclose the price until the landfill received a conditional use permit. The advantages at Rockport, they said, could well outweigh the drawback of being near residences. Another problem facing the alternative site, Brown's Canyon, is that landowners there have filed suit to stop the landfill. But Flinders said the lawsuit had "zero bearing" on his decision to look at Rockport. Leavitt and Commissioner Cliff Blonquist agreed with the statement. Rockport residents argued their site should not be chosen. Ken Bates, president of the Rockport Homeowners' Association, said 73 homes will be able to see the dump. "I'm gonna be able to see it, gonna be able to hear it, and gonna be able to smell it. And, gentlemen, I don't like that idea very much." Resident Jim Van Fleet said that winds blowing ; across tailings in the area have been known to color the lake. Resident Mary Mackey said residents would not be able to sell their homes with the dump nearby. Bruce Honey, another resident, said methane from the dump would rise to the surface. He added that the dump site has an extensive number of streams draining into Rockport. "I counted 14 beaver dams in that area once," he said. In response, Strebel said the county would be required to dam water draining off the area before it went into the lake and would be required by law to regularly cover open garbage. Commissioner Flinders Flin-ders argued that a covered landfill would be less unsightly than the clutter which now exists around the Ute-Lite plant. The Commissioners said the State Health Department is scheduled to review the Rockport site at an Aug. 19 meeting. |
