Ashland solicitor steps up to help close landfill association after key staff resigned
ASHLAND – With the transfer station sold and the landfill long-closed, the North Schuylkill Landfill Association is looking to wind up operations, despite some sudden roadblocks.
The landfill association was set up in 1971 by 13 northern Schuylkill municipalities following the closure of a landfill near Gilberton, according to a history of the association written in 2019. Four municipalities joined later.
They established a landfill west of Turkey Run which operated until the early 1990s, when the state enacted rules requiring a double-liner for landfills.
At that point, the North Schuylkill Transfer Station was built nearby and operated for 20 more years on land leased from the Jack Rich Family of Companies. The company refused to renew the lease and assumed operation of the transfer station themselves.
The landfill, as of 2019, looked “like a clear tract of land with no indication it was ever the site of a landfill” and the association had been working with DEP towards formally closing the landfill.
That effort is nearing completion but, two months ago, hit a snag at a contentious meeting in which the association’s longtime manager, solicitor, and secretary all left, either by termination or resignation.
David Briggs, president of the association and a Union Township Supervisor, said at Tuesday’s meeting that money invested in certificates of deposits will be released mid-year next year.
He said all equipment and other assets have been sold and paperwork has been filed with DEP, but that has hit a snag.
When that happens and the money is released from the certificates of deposit, the monies will be split between the 17 member municipalities. Union Township Solicitor Bob Matta said each municipality will receive somewhere around $200,000, their share of over $3 Million.
“That’s a windfall,” Matta said. “The budget here is $400,000, you’re getting $200,000.”
Briggs suggested using the funds to replace the roof on the barn at the municipality, the last remnant of the former Catawissa Valley Fairgrounds, which is used for storage and community activities.
In Ashland, Solicitor Jack Price said he is stepping up to assist the association in filing the proper paperwork to close the organization.
He said the resignations led to paperwork being filed incomplete, which he will help file properly.
Price also suggested that council appoint an alternate delegate to ensure they are kept up-to-date on matters. Ashland is a non-charter municipality and originally would not have received a share of the closing proceeds.
Charter municipalities include Delano, East Union, Mahanoy, Rush, Ryan, Union, and West Mahanoy Townships, as well as Frackville, Gilberton, Girardville, Mahanoy City, Ringtown, and Shenandoah boroughs.
Non-Charters include Ashland, Gordon, Butler Township, and McAdoo.
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