The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
City leaders got a peek into the future Tuesday - and it looked pretty trashy.
That's because City Council got its first public glance at a report on waste disposal if the Southeastern Public Service Authority closes in 2018. That's when SPSA, which handles trash for the five cities of South Hampton Roads, is scheduled to cease to exist as an agency.
Virginia Beach's answer to the end of SPSA could be an "urban landfill" at the Mount Trashmore II site along the border with Chesapeake. A pair of reports at Tuesday's council meeting showed no environmental or health concerns should stop development of an urban landfill. But the site would spawn noise, dust and odor.
To blunt the effects of those issues on nearby residents, environmental consultant Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. reported the city could use state-of-the-art technologies, buffering and landscaping.
Each comes with a cost, but buying land for a buffer zone would be the most expensive. The report estimated it could take $37 million to $61 million to create a 250- to 500-foot buffer between the landfill and residents.
On the flip side, if the city ran its own waste system, officials said it would cost less than what SPSA charges for the service - even if Virginia Beach built a facility with broad buffers. The savings could be millions of dollars a year.
City workers, however, emphasized that no decisions have been made and none is expected until next year.
The Beach's report is a first step. The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission is working on a study involving the fate of SPSA, which could be released early next year. A state study is also in play.
The strategies aren't recommendations, said Phil Davenport, a city public works official. "They are preliminary looks at different types of strategies that could be possible."
Virginia Beach is in the enviable position of having space for a landfill, said City Manager Jim Spore. Having the land set aside gives the city options, but the site has problems, too.
A SPSA-run composting operation closed there last year because of concerns from neighbors about odors and potential health risks.
The Christian Broadcasting Network, which owns land near the landfill, has proposed development in the area, including a large mixed-use complex of shops, homes and offices.
City officials have concerns about blending garbage workers, residents, shoppers and office workers.
Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson said she was pleased to see the city tackling the issue of what to do with waste disposal years into the future.
"These are really important discussions to start," she said. "These (decisions) are 10 years out, but that's not very far."
Richard Quinn, (757) 222-5119, richard.quinn@pilotonline.com
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Laughable...
A pair of reports at Tuesday's council meeting showed no environmental or health concerns should stop development of an urban landfill.
Much like the lake at Trashmore 1?
Who wrote these reports, Reba or Meyera...
Since you all brought up Talknet....
It wouldn't be Talknet without Henry chiming in.
The point Mike made - and that Reid overlooks - is that the 2018 go-it-alone option for Virginia Beach is based on using a landfill that has limited capacity left. Once that is used, we'd need a new landfill, go through the permitting process, etc. In short, while the short-term costs may be lower than what we're paying today, the medium term costs would reflect the additional landfill costs.
Mike brought up bus service, while I Chair a HRT Committee (UCAC). When Virginia Beach looked at going-it-alone at the time of the TRT/Pentran merger, our cost for providing the service would have been 250-300% higher.
Regionalism is neither a good nor an evil in itself; the devil is in the details.
Of course I would suggest
Of course I would suggest that one review the first post on this forum; no objective reader nor citizen could confuse that post with an attempt to..."share(ing) the light of truth with others". No, Greenmun is the official spokesman of the VBTA, and his continuous misrepresentation of the truth, and his vile condemnations of anyone who points that out, is clear if you review his posts on this and other topics. Frankly, as a member of the Board of SPSA, and as the recipient of the initial personal attack on this forum, I will do my best to provide current, factual information in rebuttal of posts which are simply untruthful, but beyond that, I admit to having provided a counter punch or two as well. That will continue if personal attacks continue, and in every case in which an inaccurate conclusion is presented by Greenmun as fact, that too will be pointed out. The credibility of the VBTA has suffered greatly becasue of the exaggeration and misrepresentation by its colunmists and spokesman. That has to stop.
It is Truth (Me) versus Spin (Mike), not Reid vs. Mike
Robert, I prefer to think of my efforts here as one of sharing the light of truth with others in an effort to counter Mike's many misleading Talking Points and the many excuses he tries hard to pass off as explanations for the failure of his quest for creating non-elected regional government to produce any reduction in our taxes. Robert, TalkNet died for many reasons, but I agree with you that acrimony and vitriol between "the TalkNet family" was a significant factor. Peace out.
Agree to disagree......
and stop the personal attacks.
Disagreeing and offering a pint of view is one thing..... continuing to attack each other in print is lame and boring at best.
Come on guys...... the Reid versus Mike show died on Talknet, didn't it?
After all, it's most likely things similar to this type of rhetoric that lead to the demise of Talknet and one day will eventually be the demise of the comment section.
Well, let's be honest Reid;
Well, let's be honest Reid; to you and your fellow ideologues, no results would be satisfactory. You all have adopted the Grover Norquist, no tax pledge, and his extreme views of all government activity. When you pledge to abide by his extreme views, any government activity, even those you enjoy everyday, are subject to the most intense and extreme criticism. Norquist has famously said to his followers... our job is to cut the arms and legs off government so it can be placed in a bathtub and drowned. That just about describes your posts.
Mike's "regionalism" fails to produce promised results.
Gee Mike, all those things sure sound great - too bad they fail to produce the promised results.
Another inciteful comment
Another inciteful comment from daBull. Yes, let's duplicate regional services in each city of Hampton Roads. That will most certainly save cost, increase efficiency, and reduce taxes. Not! Let's have each city and county run its own bus service. And sanitary sewer systems, yes, let us create an entirely new infrastructure so our waste does not mix. Landfill, yes, create one in each city just like we used to have so each city can be cited by EPA and its leaders placed in jail for running illegal dumps. And economic development, of course, each city should establish an office in Europe and Asia, that will be much more effective than one office shared by all the cities. Of course, if you are an anti tax zealot for whom ideology trumps common sense and business practice, you will propose anything. Just like daBull.
by any name
Regionalism...Socialism...call it what you wish. They really don't care as long as the hand stays in the "cookie jar". Sing this to the old Sonny and Cher song "The Beat Goes On"....."And the looting goes on, the looting goes on"....and on and on and on.....
Too bad you can't really
Too bad you can't really even understand the facts when they are broken down into tiny understandable bits. Back in 1984 when the city made the deal with SPSA, the city determined that is was cost effective to join the regional entity. As a result of that decision, much of the improvements and the expansion of the V.B. landfill have been made at the cost of SPSA as required by the agreement. Now in 2018, when the contract expires, the City will have had the benefit of a reduced rate to dispose of municipal waste, and we will have an improved and expanded landfill that we can use post 2018 if we chose to adopt that alternative. In other words, the city staff was able to make the claim that they may be able to dispose of waste at a lower cost than SPSA in 2018 because of the investment SPSA has made in that Landfill. Your anger and your ideology does not allow you to use your head to understand the facts. What el