Stonewall residents press jury on compactor-site relocation; jury approves hazardous-waste collection agreement

At the Solid Waste Committee meeting, resident Wayne Midland told jurors he and other Stonewall residents oppose relocating the parish compactor/collection site to a proposed 4-acre site adjacent to his property. Midland said the parcel under consideration lies in a FEMA-identified flood zone, has transmission-line and pipeline encumbrances, and includes highly erodible acreage that he said cannot be disturbed. He asked the jury to offer Stonewall residents a ballot election on whether to accept a new site.

Midland said he contacted landowners and the existing site owner and reported the owner told him the existing compactor site "is not for sale" and could be leased instead. Midland said the relocation plan surfaced in parish discussion without clear, local notice and urged an open vote of affected residents before spending relocation funds.

Jurors and staff responded that relocation and waste-service options carry substantial cost and complexity; one juror said an $2,000,000 allocation had been discussed and cautioned that an open-ended vote without cost information could bind the parish to large future expenses. Jurors discussed private hauling alternatives and the possibility that the town of Stonewall itself could pursue a municipal election or contract for collection services.

Separately, the committee approved a cooperative endeavor agreement with Shreveport Green to hold a household hazardous waste collection day on March 8, 2025 as part of the annual litter campaign.

Next steps: staff will continue study of relocation alternatives; the committee approved the Shreveport Green agreement and scheduled the hazardous-waste event for 03/08/2025.