Residents of the western communities will have another chance to sound off on the proposed site for the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County’s western county landfill. The next meeting is from 6 to 9 p.m. today (Feb. 24) at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center, 151 Civic Center Way. The final meeting will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Dolly Hand Theater on the Belle Glade Palm Beach Community College Campus.
In January Palm Beach County Commissioners decided to wait another 60 days before choosing an alternative site for the county’s new landfill. The recommended site would have put the landfill on Southern Boulevard and U.S. 98. They postponed their decision in part as it became apparent that many
residents felt the county hadn’t done enough to inform the public.
Additionally Commissioner Karen Marcus said she would meet with the South Florida Water Management District to see if a land swap deal can be
reached with the state’s future purchase of the U.S. Sugar Corp.’s land.
Wellington Mayor Darell Bowen attended the January meeting at the SWA and told the commission that he didn’t feel enough public outreach had
occurred.
That position, however, put the council at odds with environmentalists who are adamant against it because of its proximity to the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge. Many of them are more comfortable with the Southern Boulevard site.
At the public input meetings, details will be given on the current site location as well as three alternate sites being considered. Some of the locations include the Hundley property, which is four miles west of 20-mile bend on County Road 880 and the Okeelenta property , which is five miles south and five miles west on South Bay on County Road 827.
The SWA staff, project engineers and landfill experts will be on hand to answer questions and address concerns from those in attendance. A presentation by the team engineers and experts will take place followed by a question-and-answer session.
Visit www.swa.org for information or call 561-385-8930.