Landfill area road repairs funded
The Times-Reporter
BOLIVAR - Stark County Engineer Mike Rehfus will get $100,000 toward road repairs around Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility after the board of directors of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District unanimously approved the request during Friday’s meeting.
In May, Rehfus asked for $147,756 to repair the narrow county roads trash haulers travel daily – Fohl Rd., Gracemont St., Sherman Church Rd. and Dueber Ave. Rehfus said Dueber needs the most repairs. Rehfus told the board the top layer of asphalt is peeling off where the trash trucks turn, which causes distress to the pavement.
Countywide is located in Pike Township of Stark County and more than 300 trash hauling trucks use the roads every day.
Kerry Metzger, Tuscarawas County commissioner and board chairman, said the landfill committee met Wednesday to develop a road repair policy. County engineers from the three counties put a summary together to present to the landfill committee about road repairs around landfills in their counties.
“At the meeting, it was pretty apparent to me that it was going to take longer than one or two meetings to develop a policy that could be approved by the board. We need more time and the haul roads need to be repaired now,” Metzger said. “Rehfus will be able to do what needs to be done to repair those roads with the $100,000. That will give the landfill committee time to get a policy in place by the end of the year.
“The landfill committee meeting was very productive, and we will need to have definitions for the primary hauling and secondary hauling routes,” Metzger said.
Stark County Commissioner Jane Vignos and Wayne County Commissioner Cheryl Noah also serve on the landfill committee.
“Obviously, we need a policy and to establish a partnership with the county engineers,“ Wayne County Commissioner Scott Wiggam said. Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley told the board he appreciates being able to work together to accomplish getting the roads fixed. He also lauded Wiggam for his work on the project and said his confidence in the board has been renewed.
The funds will be taken from the district’s interest money. Tuscarawas County Commissioner Jim Seldenright suggested Chris Klorleski, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, be asked to amend the district’s plan to allow funds for road repairs be taken from the tipping fee funds beginning in 2008. Metzger said that is already being considered. Previously, tipping fees had been used for repairs, but that provision was omitted in the new plan written by OEPA.
