VALPARAISO — The Porter County Commissioners began the new year by opposing an old idea — a waste transfer station near Pines.
Sean Blieden, owner of Jayco Recycling in Michigan City, said people need more information.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” Blieden said. “If people would just ask questions before they get angry, it would save a lot of problems.”
Blieden wants to build a 100-foot by 100-foot waste transfer plant on the east side of County Line Road, southeast of Pines. The facility would provide a place to sort recyclable materials from other refuse before shipping it out again.
The $1.5 to $2 million facility was approved by LaPorte County officials on Dec. 21.
But Porter County officials were aghast Tuesday that anyone would consider such a project in light of all the water problems residents of Pines have gone through.
“There is a high water table there,” Commissioners President Robert Harper said. “Those people have had enough problems with water.”
Blieden proposed a similar facility before for that area. His 2003 proposal was squashed amid public concern.
With his new effort, Blieden says he has exceeded what he is required to do.
The conditions imposed by LaPorte County prohibit hazardous waste and dictate that all waste be off the floor by the end of the day and out of the facility within 24 hours.
Blieden said the facility would not accept refuse from New York City, Chicago, Indianapolis and other locales as some fear it may.
“We would be accepting it from Porter County, LaPorte County and Berrien County, Michigan. Not from surrounding areas at all.”
LaPorte County’s approval goes to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for review.
Harper requested county engineer Dave Schelling schedule a meeting with IDEM before a decision is made in Indianapolis.
“We need the people of the Pines to talk with IDEM before a decision is made,” Harper said.
Tuesday was the first meeting of the new commissioners’ lineup of Harper, John Evans and Carole Knoblock. Evans could not attend the opening meeting.
Knoblock suggested lining County Line Road with guard rails to protect the integrity of the wetlands. When Harper informed her that the county could not keep landowners from accessing its legally-owned property, Knoblock changed her suggestion to block increasing the road’s 10-ton load limit.
Blieden said the proposed site is surrounded by 65 acres of woods, and the 15 acres the plant will be located on is not in wetlands.
“We are not keeping anything secret. We are open about what we are doing and we are going above what is required,” Blieden said.
In other business, the commissioners decided that due to the number of requests that their meetings would take place the first and third Tuesdays at 6 p.m. instead of 10 a.m.
