Joppa residents take recycling station concerns to county council

Joppa area residents concerned about the county's plans to develop a trash transfer station in their community took their fight to the Harford County Council earlier this week.

After more than 90 residents attended a community council meeting in Joppatowne Monday to discuss their opposition to the transfer station, a handful spoke against the plan at Tuesday's county council legislative session in Bel Air.

Gloria Moon, who said she was representing the Joppa/Joppatowne Community Council, told the council she was disappointed no one from the county executive's office attended Monday's community meeting.

She said residents only learned about the county's purchase of 814 Philadelphia Boulevard, formerly Coleman Plecker's World of Golf, for a recycling transfer station via an e-mail.

"We were really not happy. We feel a community council is exactly where we need to be discussing this," Moon said, explaining some county representatives said residents should take their concerns to the development advisory committee.

She asked the county council to be more involved in the matter. "You are the final authority. It will be up to you seven where this will be placed."

Moon said the residents hoped to educate the council about their concerns.

"You don't always know a lot about Joppa," she said. "This is going to be ongoing with this council, you. We have a committee, we are going to do a lot of research. It's going to be a learning curve, I think, for us… We would love to work with any of you."

Councilman Dion Guthrie said the Joppa/Joppatowne Community Council meetings usually get about 20 attendees.

"Last night, we had to move into the cafeteria because I think we had over 100 people show up," he said. "I know [the transfer station] is far off, but clearly it was in the paper, it's got everybody worked up."

Guthrie, a Democrat representing the Joppatowne and Edgewood areas, said he knows the situation is "difficult," as the property has been for sale for three or four years.

He also contested a comment in The Aegis by environmental services deputy director Tom Hilton that the land was fairly flat.

"There ain't no piece of that property that's flat… You couldn't keep a golf ball straight," Guthrie said.

He questioned the wisdom of "the county to go out and spend $2.9 million on a taxpayer's property without going to the community first, particularly if it's going to be a controversial use."

Guthrie said the site would still have to be put into the solid waste plan.

"If in fact they put this into the solid waste plan, I certainly will be voting against it, and I hope my [fellow] council members will support me on that," he said. "You can understand that the people in the community are very upset over this, and they are going to be watching this closely."

Also at Tuesday's meeting, the council:

-Approved a $100,000 Economic Development Opportunity Fund loan to Automated Coatings Inc. to expand its Edgewood facility and buy equipment.

-Agreed to add the definition of "lodging house" to the county code, which Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti and Councilman Dick Slutzky said would help define the concept of mixed-use office space and ensure there would not be apartments in certain projects.

-Approved a pole license agreement with BGE for up to $1 million to provide for placement of equipment on BGE's poles that will facilitate an advanced telecommunications broadband network.

-Approved a $7,760 tax credit for Habitat for Humanity.

-Introduced a bill changing the Commission on Veterans' Affairs to provide for a more diverse and expanded membership.

-Appointed O'Melia Vanessa James to the Core Service Agency and Rose Satz to the Commission for Women, and re-appointed Ronnie Teitler Davis to the Commission for Women.