Pam Carter said she does not favor expanding the Cumberland County landfill on Ann Street in the heart of downtown Fayetteville.
She not only opposes the expansion but thinks the landfill should not be at its current location. Carter said the city has spent millions on a downtown baseball stadium and the county is currently working to build an arts and performance center in the downtown area, all within a short distance of the landfill.
Carter, along with members of her family, was one of about a dozen people who attended the county’s first information session about the landfill expansion project at the Department of Social Services building on Ramsey Street. The session started at 4 p.m. Thursday and lasted until 7 p.m.
A mix of people, from the chairwoman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners to former state Rep. Elmer Floyd, attended the forum. Others attending included county employees, news reporters, and area residents.
Assistant County Manager Brian Haney said attendance may have been light, but it was steady. He noted that information about the proposed landfill expansion is also available on a county website dedicated to landfill expansion. Haney also said the county plans to hold virtual meetings on the plan. The county is required by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality to include a public engagement program as part of its plan to expand the landfill.
The public can submit comments about the proposed project until March 17. Other ways to submit comments are by visiting the project website at www.cumberlandcountync.gov/annstreetplan; sending an email to annstreetlandfill@cumberlandcountync.gov; calling the project hotline at 910-505-9334; or sending a letter by standard mail to 698 Ann St., Fayetteville, NC 28301.
The landfill will be out of room to dispose of trash by 2030 if the county fails to expand the site at its current location. The plan is to expand the footprint westward, close to Eufaula Street. Information handouts say the expansion would add at least 20 years to the life of the landfill; would have minimal environmental effects by using existing space and infrastructure; and will not generate odors during the relocation of baled waste.
Haney said the county looked for other property but that none suitable for a landfill was available.
Carter said an alternative site is important.
“The county should find an alternate site, away from the downtown, away from the river, and away from people’s houses,” Carter said.
Carter said she has lived in the lower downtown area for years, along with her mother and grandmother. She recalled the area once had a zoo, and the Lamon Street pool was a fun place to be. She said the area overlooking the river is beautiful and should be used for parks and trails instead of a landfill.
“There are so many things we could do in that area,” Carter said.