Public speakers urge county to block Wawarsing landfill; legislature refers resolution back to committee, 12-10

Hundreds of residents and property owners urged the Ulster County Legislature on April 15 to oppose any landfill sited near Wawarsing and to press the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency to pursue zero-waste and alternative technologies.

Public comment was dominated by speakers who described wells that supply household water, concern about odors and property values, and long-term health and environmental justice risks. Reuben Bouchard of Greenfield Park told the legislature, "no to the dump in Worsing," and called for "experts with other ideas, implementing new technology." Lauren Salvey, who said her home is “more or less right in between the Milk Road and Brown Road sites,” urged legislators to follow Sullivan County’s bipartisan condemnation earlier in the year and "do the right thing and pass this resolution." Kenneth Cook, identifying himself as "a member of the Onondaga Nation from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy," warned of the cultural and environmental stakes, saying "We took care of [these lands] for 12,000 years." Several other speakers — including farmers, homeowners and representatives of local 0-waste efforts — said they fear groundwater contamination, losing homes and community identity.

The public comment period also included testimony from James (Jim) Gordon, who identified himself as chairman of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA). Gordon asked the legislature not to short-circuit the process and described UCRRA’s activities as following the county’s solid-waste planning process. He said the agency is issuing requests for proposals (RFPs) both to identify alternative technologies and to study additional potential landfill sites and that "a landfill would be the final step in a system that prioritizes avoidance, waste diversion, reuse, recycling, and composting." Gordon also said siting a landfill, if required, typically takes a decade.

After public comment, Legislator Dawn Nolan moved to refer Resolution 33 — a measure titled "Opposing the establishment of a county landfill in Wawarsing, New York, and urging the exploration of alternative locations and waste management solutions" — to the Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee for further evaluation. Legislator Green seconded the referral. The motion drew extended debate on the floor. Some legislators, including Minority Leader Roberts and Legislator Maloney, urged an immediate vote in support of the resolution to give Wawarsing residents certainty; others, including Nolan and Green, argued the referral would allow the body to develop a countywide approach rather than opposing a single site.

The legislature voted to refer Resolution 33 to committee. The clerk recorded the outcome as "adopted 12 to 10." The referral means the committee will review the measure and related technical work before returning a recommendation to the full body.

Key factual clarifications recorded on the record during public comment and committee debate included: - Several residents said that the proposed Wawarsing locations would rely on private wells and expressed concern that groundwater contamination could affect drinking water. Residents also described local economic activity and new businesses they said would be harmed by a landfill. - Speakers used alternate spellings for the county agency and the proposed town (transcript shows "ACRA," "Accra," "UCRA," and variants for Wawarsing); the county agency responsible for solid-waste planning and operations is the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA). Residents said they were concerned that UCRRA has asked for authority to self-bond and that testing at some sites could begin as early as June. - The Ulster County report of a legislative committee (delivered Aug. 1, year not specified in the meeting record) and the county's Solid Waste Management Plan (passed by the legislature in 2020) were cited by UCRRA’s chairman as the documents guiding the agency’s process.

Other votes and appointments recorded during the session (summary): - Resolution 81, confirming an appointment to the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency: adopted 22 to 0. - Several other related motions on UCRRA reappointment and governance were discussed at length; committee members and multiple legislators called for a more transparent appointment process and stronger oversight of the agency. (See the meeting "Votes at a glance" section below for a compact list of additional outcomes recorded on the meeting minutes.)

What the referral means: The Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee now has the request to examine the technical work done to date, review alternative locations and technologies, and return recommendations to the full legislature. Residents who testified asked the committee to prioritize groundwater testing, require independent technical review, and consider zero-waste and diversion-focused alternatives instead of landfill capacity.

Next steps raised on the record included requests for additional funding and timetable clarifications for testing and for proponents of zero-waste approaches to respond to UCRRA’s RFP process.

Votes at a glance (select items recorded in the meeting minutes): - Resolution 33 (referal to Energy, Environment & Sustainability Committee): Motioned by Legislator Dawn Nolan; seconded by Legislator Green; outcome: referral adopted 12–10. - Resolution 81 (confirming appointment to Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency): outcome adopted 22–0. - Resolution 85 (contract with Solar Liberty Energy Systems, Inc., $1,427,490.29 – Planning & Public Works): adopted 21–1 (one abstention initially recorded then withdrawn; final recorded 21–1 in the minutes). - Multiple bond and capital resolutions (including government operations center bonds and SUNY Ulster roof reconstruction) were adopted later in the meeting; these votes were recorded in the official minutes (see clerk's record for full tallies).