Residents Organizing to Oppose Possible Landfill Rezoning

Dozens of Lower Saucon Township residents who are opposed to near the  gathered for an informal organizational meeting at on Saturday.

The landfill's request for the rezoning is currently being reviewed by the Lower Saucon Township Planning Commission, which will next meet to discuss it on June 28.

At the planning commission's May 24 meeting, many of the same residents voiced concerns about how --which would become possible if the land under review is ultimately rezoned--could affect their quality of life in Steel City.

The Steel City section is the township's most densely populated area, and is located on the other side of a ridge from the landfill.

At the June 2 meeting in the park, many of the concerned residents signed a petition opposing the rezoning that they plan to present to planning commissioners later this month.

One of them was Robert Ferraira, who said he has lived in Steel City for 43 years.

"(A landfill expansion) is not going to affect one or two people," he said. "It's going to affect this whole community."

Others brainstormed ideas for gathering exposure for their cause.

"We want to contact some state representatives," Steel City resident Donna Louder said.

The citizens' group is also planning to contact local and regional media outlets, and is seeking pro bono legal assistance, she said.

"We're asking anybody to help who can," Louder added.

Matt McClarin, the resident who organized the meeting by passing out flyers, announced that the group hopes to start its own website, as well as possibly a Facebook page.

McClarin said he's corralling volunteers to help him sift through a voluminous amount of information he's gathered in order to help argue the case against a landfill expansion.

Before that happens on June 28, however, there will be another gathering at the park.

That meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 13 at 6pm, and McClarin said he hopes it will draw residents from throughout the township, in addition to those who are from Steel City and other areas that are close to the landfill.

Information about the upcoming meeting and the issues related to the landfill's rezoning request will also be available at in Steel City, it was announced.

"I think we've got a lot of good information," McClarin said. "There's more than enough to stop this."