[StBernard] Council Members Firmly Oppose Reopening Crescent Acres Landfill

[Westley Annis]

Council Members Firmly Oppose Reopening Crescent Acres Landfill

December 22 , 2005

By: Steve Cannizaro


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St. Bernard Parish Council members said Thursday they firmly oppose an
attempt to reopen Crescent Acres landfill to dispose of hurricane debris,
emphasizing it was closed in 1993 because of bad odors and possible
environmental problems and further use wouldn't be in the best interests of
the parish.

The landfill which straddles the St. Bernard/Orleans Parish border north of
Arabi Elementary School, with 90 percent of it inside St. Bernard Parish, is
up for debate again because a company, Allied, wants to reopen it for
disposing of hurricane debris.

The state Department of Environmental Quality has asked St. Bernard Parish
for a letter of no objection and lawyers for the company involved have
contacted the parish.

But St. Bernard Council Chairman Joseph DiFatta Jr. and members Mark Madary,
who represents the Arabi area most affected by the landfill when it was
open, Craig Taffaro Jr., Judy Hoffmeister and Ricky Melerine made clear at a
press conference they called that they want no part of reopening Crescent
Acres.

One reason for closing the landfill 12 years ago, after many years of
terrible odors in the area, was because it wasn't properly lined and there
were allegations material was seeping out and poisoning the parish's estuary
system, DiFatta said.

It's proposed that 87 feet of debris be put there, DiFatta said, which
conceivably could force the buried material to spread out and again affect
the parish and cause odors.

DEQ has said it won't go against the will of the parish, DiFatta said, and
all the Council members said it's their will that Crescent Acres not be
reopened. "We won't let this happen without a fight,'' said Difatta who said
he grew up not far from the landfill and remembers the problems.

Melerine said, "We never considered reopening the landfill and we don't want
it opened back up.''

Madary emphasized the landfill's proximity to the nearby school, saying it
wouldn't in the best interests of the students who will go to school there
again before a reopened landfill could be closed.

The landfill, which opened in 1962, was closed in 1993 to cheers from
neighbors who had complained about odor and possible health problems
stemming from its operation. Madary said the problems were particularly bad
for residents of Arabi Park, Carolyn Park and St. Claude Heights.

Council members also said St. Bernard already has a place to put its storm
debris and not reopening Crescent Acres wouldn't in any way jeopardize the
parish's recovery from Katrina.