Council tables preliminary approval for Pinecrest transfer station after multiple resident concerns

Parish residents and council members pressed for more information about a proposed Pinecrest LLC non-processing transfer station during a public hearing April 13, and the Tangipahoa Parish Council voted to table preliminary approval until written answers to residents’ questions are provided.

The council opened a hearing on Resolution R26-14, which would grant preliminary approval to a non-processing transfer station on the north side of Highway 442 east of Highway 1063 in Independence (District 4). Residents who live within about 3,000 feet of the proposed site raised questions about groundwater contamination, truck traffic and site operations.

“Is it containing anything, or is anything getting out? I have a well,” said resident Ben Blunt, who asked whether the facility will install test wells and how rainwater and run‑off would be handled. Several other residents reiterated concerns about wells, creeks and local drainage.

Resident Chris Fisher said the parish’s regulation was changed in a way that allowed the project to proceed and questioned whether the public had adequate notice; he also highlighted that the regulation allows other parishes within a long radius to use the site, which he said does not benefit Tangipahoa residents.

Steve Burnham, civil and environmental engineer for Pinecrest LLC, described the proposal as a non-processing, non-hazardous, under-roof transfer station where small loads are consolidated into larger trailers for off-site disposal. Burnham said the facility would operate under DEQ permits, that materials would not be disposed on-site, and that any liquids would be routed to a tank and removed off-site. “Everything’s done under roof,” he told the council, and he said the company had submitted a DEQ water‑discharge permit to the parish.

Council members pressed for clarity on several points, including whether household garbage could be handled, how the parish ordinance allocates sites north and south of Highway 40, whether household garbage must go to the Tangipahoa Parish landfill under local code, how often DEQ inspects transfer stations, and where consolidated loads would be taken. Burnham said the facility could accept household drop‑offs from nearby residents and suggested the transfer station would likely reduce truck mileage by consolidating smaller loads.

Councilmember Wells moved to table the resolution and seek written responses to the questions raised; the motion was seconded and carried. Multiple members said the hearing produced too many unanswered questions for the council to decide at this meeting. The council directed staff to gather and circulate written answers before the matter is returned for further consideration at a future meeting.

The council did not vote on preliminary approval at the April 13 meeting; a follow-up hearing is expected after staff provides the requested information.