posted by Joe Polk at 10:13 AM /
Here's another article from guest blogger Bob Williams...
Broad-based recycling options are leading more Mt. Lebanon residents than ever before to embrace ideas aimed at preserving the environment. Composting certainly helps fill out their gardens. But at least 80 residents near Robb Hollow Park say the municipality is not living up to the same standards it sets for residents who compost in their yards.
Living near Mt. Lebanon’s compost site in Robb Hollow Park hasn’t been too pleasant, say some 80 residents who signed a petition asking that problems be remedied. Residents from Arrowood, Pinewood, Firwood and Somerville drives, and Robb Hollow Road say they are especially affected. They contend the odor is unbearable in the summer, and concerns about vermin being attracted to the site are worrisome.
“The smell, and the noise from the grinding machine which goes all the time is unbearable. Quite frankly, it just stinks,” said a petitioner at a July 13 meeting.
Tom Kelley, Mt. Lebanon’s public works director, said a study is planned and grant funding has been sought to aid in remedying neighbor’s concerns. Residents approached the commission June 22. The Allegheny County Health Department has since examined the site and found no immediate dangers from vermin and the like. Officials asked residents for patience while the study is undertaken.
The municipality has two compost sites: the municipal golf course and Robb Hollow Park. The leaves are vacuumed from the municipal streets and stored at the two sites. After leaf pickup ends in late November, the leaves are shredded, windrowed into large piles – 300 feet long, 15 feet wide and 12 feet high – and turned at least once a month to accelerate the decomposing process.
Compost is available at the municipal golf course beginning in the spring. Compost can be purchased by the bushel or truckload. The municipality has been involved in composting since the mid-1960s. In the early 1980s, an unused girl’s softball field at Robb Hollow Park was converted to use as a compost site. It’s this area—near Painters Run and Robb Hollow—that has drawn fire.
Commissioner Joe Deluiis asked whether it was practical to transport the leaves to Upper St. Clair’s compost site instead of Robb Hollow Park. Upper St. Clair’s compost site is located off Boyce Road in Boyce-Mayview Park.
Officials said Upper St. Clair’s compost site is about 12 miles from Mt. Lebanon and it would be cost-prohibitive to transport the leaves. However, the distance between the two compost sites is about 6.2 miles by road, according to GoogleMaps.
Residents say the municipality is in violation of Pennsylvania’s Act 101 of 1988. Act 101 mandates recycling in Pennsylvania`s larger municipalities, requires counties to develop municipal waste management plans and provides for grants to offset expenses. It also requires municipalities to separate leaf waste from other municipal waste.
Residents say Act 101 forbids composting in parks, and within 300 feet of occupied homes. One petitioner said her home is 230 feet from the compost site. Kelley said Act 101 does not apply in this instance. Residents disagreed with him. Mt. Lebanon's code, (Chapter 7, health & safety-part 3) includes many guidelines for residents who compost on their property. Here is one of those rules, added by ordinance in 2007: "There shall not be any unpleasant or foul odors emitted from the compost.
Composting material shall be maintained in a manner that will promote the decay of the organic material, including regular turning and fluffing of the compost material."
Broad-based recycling options are leading more Mt. Lebanon residents than ever before to embrace ideas aimed at preserving the environment. Composting certainly helps fill out their gardens. But at least 80 residents near Robb Hollow Park say the municipality is not living up to the same standards it sets for residents who compost in their yards.
Living near Mt. Lebanon’s compost site in Robb Hollow Park hasn’t been too pleasant, say some 80 residents who signed a petition asking that problems be remedied. Residents from Arrowood, Pinewood, Firwood and Somerville drives, and Robb Hollow Road say they are especially affected. They contend the odor is unbearable in the summer, and concerns about vermin being attracted to the site are worrisome.
“The smell, and the noise from the grinding machine which goes all the time is unbearable. Quite frankly, it just stinks,” said a petitioner at a July 13 meeting.
Tom Kelley, Mt. Lebanon’s public works director, said a study is planned and grant funding has been sought to aid in remedying neighbor’s concerns. Residents approached the commission June 22. The Allegheny County Health Department has since examined the site and found no immediate dangers from vermin and the like. Officials asked residents for patience while the study is undertaken.
The municipality has two compost sites: the municipal golf course and Robb Hollow Park. The leaves are vacuumed from the municipal streets and stored at the two sites. After leaf pickup ends in late November, the leaves are shredded, windrowed into large piles – 300 feet long, 15 feet wide and 12 feet high – and turned at least once a month to accelerate the decomposing process.
Compost is available at the municipal golf course beginning in the spring. Compost can be purchased by the bushel or truckload. The municipality has been involved in composting since the mid-1960s. In the early 1980s, an unused girl’s softball field at Robb Hollow Park was converted to use as a compost site. It’s this area—near Painters Run and Robb Hollow—that has drawn fire.
Commissioner Joe Deluiis asked whether it was practical to transport the leaves to Upper St. Clair’s compost site instead of Robb Hollow Park. Upper St. Clair’s compost site is located off Boyce Road in Boyce-Mayview Park.
Officials said Upper St. Clair’s compost site is about 12 miles from Mt. Lebanon and it would be cost-prohibitive to transport the leaves. However, the distance between the two compost sites is about 6.2 miles by road, according to GoogleMaps.
Residents say the municipality is in violation of Pennsylvania’s Act 101 of 1988. Act 101 mandates recycling in Pennsylvania`s larger municipalities, requires counties to develop municipal waste management plans and provides for grants to offset expenses. It also requires municipalities to separate leaf waste from other municipal waste.
Residents say Act 101 forbids composting in parks, and within 300 feet of occupied homes. One petitioner said her home is 230 feet from the compost site. Kelley said Act 101 does not apply in this instance. Residents disagreed with him. Mt. Lebanon's code, (Chapter 7, health & safety-part 3) includes many guidelines for residents who compost on their property. Here is one of those rules, added by ordinance in 2007: "There shall not be any unpleasant or foul odors emitted from the compost.
Composting material shall be maintained in a manner that will promote the decay of the organic material, including regular turning and fluffing of the compost material."
Labels: mulch, public works, robb hollow park, tom kelley
1 Comments:
I happened to attend the Commission discussion session where this took place. Three observations :
1)Commission president & chair of the meeting permitted a very open and ranging discussion of the subject and inclusion of public neighborhood participation to a degree and extent that far exceeded anything I have witnessed before. Nice going !
2)the arguments made by the affected neighborhood folks were very compelling...the Act 101 provisions, to me, seem totally applicable to Lebo, and Lebo is in violation.
3)before composting there was an "unused girls softball field" on the park site ? And we have an alleged sports field shortage today that we seem be willing to spend $ millions on for new sites ?
Something is very wrong here !
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