CLEARFIELD – Residents against the proposed Camp Hope Run Landfill in Boggs Township attended the Clearfield Area School District board of school directors’ meeting Monday night to ask the board for its support.
Recently, the state Department of Environmental Protection granted a permit for the construction/operation of the landfill against the protests of local government and citizens. The Clearfield County Commissioners have announced the county will appeal this decision.
Jim Catalano first spoke for the group and noted there will be at least 250 trucks per day coming off of Interstate 80. He spoke about traffic tie ups, with the garbage trucks taking two lanes to turn onto each road: route 879, Park Avenue and route 153.
Catalano also noted that there are other trucks that use the same route and that the slowed traffic will affect the schedule of buses and school student vans. Additionally, he said there are students waiting for their buses along that route in the morning, and getting off in the afternoon, and there is concern for their safety.
Other concerns raised by citizens included medical waste from cities, including New York City; the speed of trucks in the Litz Bridge area; the faults located in the proposed landfill location; the effect on local water sources, etc.
Board President Larry Putt said that the board does support the opposition of the landfill and the commissioners’ efforts in appeal. The board discussed whether a letter could be sent to the commissioners and possibly others to express that support.
Superintendent Terry Struble said there are eight bus stops between Lawrence Park Village and Litz Bridge, not counting LPV, itself, or the secondary stops for other school vehicles.
He said that the number of stops is flexible depending on the number of students in that area each year, and the amount and speed of traffic is always a concern, and this would only add to it.
Struble said a letter would allow the district to detail the board’s specific concerns regarding student safety as well as the safety of the community as a whole.
The board unanimously approved sending a letter of support for the appeal to the county commissioners.
The citizens group also encouraged the board to send letters to other school districts in the area to encourage their support and also to DEP.