Cumberland supervisors postpone Greenridge conditional-use hearing as residents press landfill concerns

The Cumberland County Board of Supervisors postponed a scheduled public hearing on conditional use permit CUP 24-01 for the Greenridge Recycling and Disposal Facility on June 10, saying negotiations between the county and the company are ongoing and a future hearing date will be set.

County staff read a statement to the board saying the Greenridge public hearing “has been postponed to a future date, time, and location to be determined” while negotiations over the CUP and a host agreement continue. The statement noted that if approved, CUP 24-01 would replace the existing CUP 18-06 and that the county will provide additional public notice once a new hearing date is set.

The postponement drew multiple public speakers who said they remain concerned about the proposal. Betty Myers, a Cumberland resident, told the board she is worried about traffic, property values and the county’s future and asked supervisors how the landfill proposal would “improve things” for local residents. “How is that going to improve things? I just don't understand it,” Myers said.

Michael Scales, also a resident, urged the board to set a firm date and stick to it, saying many people planned to attend the hearing and that rescheduling created hardships. “Please schedule the next board date and keep that board date,” he said.

Robin Mead, who described herself as a Cumberland resident, criticized county communication about the landfill: “The communication about the landfill to the citizens has been sparse and, really unhelpful for the most part,” she said, adding that she had not met a single resident in favor of the landfill.

Another speaker, Jerry Dunford, urged greater transparency and expressed concern that financial considerations were outweighing environmental and public-health questions, saying the proposal has been under discussion for years and residents still lack clear information about impacts on air, water and wetlands.

County staff told the board the county will continue negotiations with Greenridge, and will follow all state code requirements for public notice when a new hearing is scheduled. The staff statement directed residents to the county website’s Greenridge project tab for updates.

No formal board action on the CUP was taken beyond the postponement; supervisors did not vote to approve or deny the permit at the June 10 meeting. The county said it will announce the rehearing date, time and location and provide additional informational alerts when that date is set.