The life expectancy of the landfill when it opened in the mid-1990s was 11 to 12 years. But it never reached capacity and twice it has been given permission to expand.
Last year, Stony Hollow was granted authorization to increase the landfill’s solid waste capacity vertically, extending its life expectancy for another 16 to 18 years.
“There’s been so many broken promises,” said Jacqueline Drew, 64, who lives in the Highview Hills neighborhood, north of the landfill. “I am concerned about the noise, the dust, how our property values are going down, down, down.”
However, some area residents said Stony Hollow has been a good and considerate neighbor, and they support the landfill and its rezoning request.
Earlier this month, the Dayton Plan Board held a public hearing about Waste Management’s request to rezone about 29 acres south of the landfill to light industrial from suburban residential.
The change is needed to create a soil borrow area that will help the landfill meet soil demands, including the construction of engineering components and facility operations, the company said.
The company needs soil to cover waste that is deposited at the landfill. Currently, the company is trucking in dirt from other areas.
“We purchase soil for our needs right now,” said Peter Lucas, district engineer for the landfill.
The adjacent site has about 190,000 cubic yards of soil, which could last between two to eight years, depending on trash volumes and state regulations on cover depths, Lucas said.
During the public hearing, three residents who live near the landfill lashed out against the proposal.
Edna Drew, 84, who lives at 3932 Cain Court in the Highview Hills neighborhood, said the landfill was among a cluster of undesirable facilities installed along that section of Gettysburg Avenue, including a homeless shelter, a corrections facility, an offender re-entry center and antenna and TV towers.
“It’s called environmental racism,” Drew said. “Anything negative in this city is put right over there.”
Her comments echoed those made in the 1990s when the placement of the landfill in southwest Dayton — near some low-income and predominantly black neighborhoods — ignited a firestorm of controversy.
Jacqueline Drew, who is Edna Drew’s daughter and lives with her, also accused the city and its plan and zoning boards of rubber stamping every expansion request made by landfill.
Jacqueline Drew said she opposes the rezoning request because the landfill should be closed by this point and yet it keeps expanding and causing problems.
She said noisy trash trucks kick up dirt that clings to her vehicle and the landfill’s smell can be offensive.
She said the landfill hurts the quality of life in the neighborhood, which is not as nice as it once was.
“Because of all of the bad faith, we don’t have any confidence that once they rezone it they won’t expand that landfill,” she said.
In 2008, the landfill received permission from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to expand laterally by about 10 acres to 70 acres. The facility’s waste capacity increased by 1.9 million cubic yards to 12.9 million cubic yards.
Then, last year, the landfill obtained authorization for a a vertical expansion, increasing its disposal capacity by 5.9 million cubic yards to 18.8 million cubic yards. The Dayton Zoning Appeals Board also approved the vertical expansion.
That change is expected to extend the facility’s life expectancy to about 16 years, based on the average daily waste receipt of 1,163 tons per day, the Ohio EPA said. The height of the landfill will increase by about 88.5 feet, records show.
Without the vertical expansion, the landfill would have to close in about five years, the facility said.
Janice McCurdy, who has lived at 3740 Stony Hollow Road since 1989, can see trucks driving along the landfill’s tallest hill from her front yard.
She can hear trucks backing up starting at 6 a.m. She said her home, yard and vehicles are pelted with bird droppings as they fly to and from the dump.
She said she never liked the landfill, but
she said the facility’s footprint has grown and it has exceeded heights it originally was not supposed to, and the trash pile will get even taller.
She said she wants to sell move.
“If it closed up today, I’d stay, because I love it here,” she said.
Stony Hollow Landfill said community factors, including waste-generation reduction, the economic recession and an increase in recycling meant the facility did not reach capacity as quickly as anticipated.
Other factors, including changes in landfill techniques and better equipment, have extended the lifespan of the landfill too, allowing larger volumes of waste to be deposited in smaller sections of space, the company said.
Stony Hollow said it has become a community partner and sponsored community sports, funded and aided in the clean-up of local parks, created a community garden, provided Christmas gifts to local children and funds local neighborhood organizations.
“Due to the nature of our business and necessary services we provide, we expect opposition may always be present, but by educating the public and operating our landfill as we do, we have become a good neighbor and community partner,” the landfill said in a statement.
The rezoning request has received the support of the Southwest Priority Board and some neighbors do not object to the idea.
Some neighbors, and even some critics, say Waste Management has taken steps to try to reduce problems, like dust and noise.
“The owner treats us pretty good … and they keep (the landscaping) looking nice,” said Ronald McKeever, 67, who lives on Cain Court. “You’ve got to put the landfill somewhere, but once they fill it, I wish they’d take it across town to Kettering, Oakwood or somewhere else.”
About the Author
