Assembly of Governments to address land?ll closure in Rogers Road area

When Orange County leaders meet Thursday night for their annual Assembly of Governments meeting, the county’s landfill will be at the top of the agenda.

The meeting will gather representatives from the Orange County Board of Commissioners and the towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough.

The leaders will not take any action at the meeting, but will discuss the items in order to bring all perspectives into the mix.

For the past several months, a task force has been discussing the future of Rogers Road neighborhood — which has housed the county’s landfill since 1972.

After a series of extensions, the landfill is now set to close in June 2013.

Funding a new community center for the neighborhood and providing residents access to sewer and water hookups will be on the table at Thursday night’s meeting.

Orange County, Carrboro and Chapel Hill have all pledged money to fund the remediations.

Carrboro Alderman Sammy Slade, who sits on the Historic Rogers Road Neighborhood Task Force, said he will urge the other boards to implement organic composting programs.

“We need to advance our collaboration to make sure we can maximize our collection of organic matter,” he said.

Slade said he also wants to introduce “pay-as-you-throw” trash collection, where residents are charged based on how much they throw out.

In addition to an update on the progress of the Rogers Road area, leaders will also discuss the future of Chapel Hill’s Greene Tract — a 164-acre site near the landfill acquired in 1984, originally for solid waste purposes.

Only 60 acres are being used for solid waste, and a number of proposals have been made about what to do with the remaining space.

Possible uses include building affordable housing, building a new elementary school and preserving it as open space.

The leaders will also discuss ways to implement the recently passed half-cent sales transit tax increase and vehicle tag fees — both of which will help fund expanded transit options for the county.

County Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier said all the items will be equally important.

“They’re all important and intertwined,” she said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.