City, residents strike deal on landfill growth

By Staff
Leada DeVaney, Hartselle Enquirer
Valley View residents and the city of Hartselle seem to have reached an uneasy truce over the expansion of the landfill.
The City Council has OK'd the mayor to bid on some 64 acres of property located north of the existing landfill. The land is set to be sold at court auction April 29.
Valley View residents have been upset about the prospect of expanding the landfill and are concerned about the items being dumped at the current facility.
If the council is able to purchase the land, it is pledging to create a permanent natural boundary between the landfill and the neighborhood. The council promised to meet with Valley View residents within two weeks of a successful land purchase to establish the boundaries.
"I would support dedicating a portion of the land for a natural boundary," Mayor Clif Knight said.
Council member Frank Jones said while he would support some sort of boundary, he is not ready to commit to an exact size for that area.
"We don't even know if we can buy the property," Jones said. "But if we are spending the city's money on this property, we've got to look at what's best for Hartselle as a whole. The people from Valley View are 1 percent of Hartselle's population. We have to think of what's best for every one."
The city has proposed using 39 acres for the landfill and 24 acres as a buffer.
Residents are pushing for 30 acres for landfill and 33 acres for the buffer.
The exact size of the buffer could lead to another fight and hard feelings on the issue remain.
"Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are probably more welcome in Valley View subdivision than this council," property owner Will Lipsey said.