Orange County Commissioners have voted to shut down a landfill located on Rogers Road — but that didn’t put problems with trash in the area to rest.
Michael Talbert, assistant county manager, presented information on illegal dumping sites on Rogers Road to Commissioners at a Tuesday night meeting.
Talbert said the two most prominent sites contain a variety of materials that appear to have been buried over several years, but that testing showed that the dumping has not yet affected groundwater.
He also said they plan to contact land owners surrounding the sites to investigate and evaluate other illegal dumping sites before the landfill closes in 2013.
The commissioners also heard a presentation from Tommy Holmes, fire chief at Orange Grove Volunteer Fire Company, on two new planned fire stations in the Cane Creek Fire District .
Jones said the department is trying to hold the cost down for the fire stations and predicts the cost of the station on Rocky Ridge Road, which will be in operation this year, will cost about $70,000.
“We’ve got that land, we’ve changed the lease, we’ve got it in our name, and we’ve already purchased an extra truck for that station,” Holmes said.
The second new station, located near the Alamance County line, will be constructed in 2013.
Notable
Dr. Emil Malizia, professor in UNC’s Department of City and Regional Planning, presented information on entrepreneurship in Orange County and stressed the importance of finding space for startups in the area.
“The most attractive niche for the county would be young companies… that are beyond the startup stage and have some reason to be in the county,” he said.
Malizia also said the two spaces most needed in the area are offices for technology and life science companies.
County Manager Frank Clifton said there have been discussions about how the county might be able to partner with startups in the future.
“It’s not going to be an easy task but it’s going to be worth pursuing,” he said.
Quotable
“Historically the fire departments have stepped up when necessary and this is an example of a fire department stepping up,” said Earl McKee, on Orange Grove Volunteer Fire Company’s initiative to build two new fire stations in Orange County.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
