| The use of the Le Repentir facility as a dumpsite was never intended to surpass a period of two years,Jerseys Wholesale, a situation which, according to City Mayor Hamilton Green, has now led to the ongoing “landfill conundrum” that is being faced by the city municipality.City Mayor Hamilton GreenReminiscing on the genesis of the site, the Mayor in an invited comment, on Thursday last, related that circumstances did not permit the halt to the operations at the site,Cheap Jerseys, which as a result caused Government to engage negotiations with the Inter-American Development Bank for a new landfill facility.“We had hoped to put it in Georgetown but the powers that be felt that we should not identify the city to be further used as a place for the disposable of our garbage. After some discussions, a place called Haag Bosch…and I have been made to understand that’s not the real name of the site that has been identified but that’s another matter… behind Eccles.”According to Mayor Green, there were initial bureaucratic delays occasioned by the normal bureaucracies such as agencies of the Government,Air Max Scontate Uomo, the international agencies and even the municipality.He said that it was further worsened by an objection by a number of citizens in the Eccles community who initially objected to the very idea of garbage passing through their community.As such, Mayor Green disclosed that a series of consultations ensued, which subsequently resulted in the site being confirmed for the relocation.“To the best of my knowledge they are unlikely to be able to use that site before sometime in early 2010…that’s 16 to 18 months away, if all goes well.”As a result, the Mayor lamented the fact the municipality will be saddled with the burden of maintaining the existing site at least for another two years, which according to him is a monumental challenge.He explained that the Le Repentir Site represents the lone dumpsite which is tasked with accommodating a large quantity of waste – in excess of 260 tonnes of garbage – that originates within and outside the city.“I was there this morning and trucks, as is usual, were coming from Georgetown and outside of Georgetown to bring garbage because sites, which we understand were promoted and identified by the government, don’t seem to be working or people are ignoring them.”Beyond that, the Mayor said that the council is plagued with a number of problems which it is earnestly trying to cope with.He pointed out that in order to rectify the current situation at the site some equipment has been procured but some operators have refused to work, claiming that the place is unsafe, particularly since it is smoke-filled. He said that there has even been the complaint of one operator that he is an asthmatic.“I have advised the Town Clerk to call the union and deal with these matters because we have provided them with the appropriate safety gears which I myself saw today…the gas masks with the pellets which make it safe for anybody to work under those conditions.”The cost of the gas masks, the Mayor said, has amounted to more than $200,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale,000 and the fact that the operators are still refusing to work is another complex matter which could see them (operators) either being removed or dismissed.To effectively finance the situation, he disclosed, efforts are being intensified to target delinquent tax payers since the municipality has not yet been able to persuade the government to allow the expansion of the city’s revenue base.“This ad hoc emergency help that they give is inappropriate and we need money on a regular basis so that we could plan to spend…and not every time we have a crisis the government has to come like a hero to say they are saving us. We welcome it but we would prefer to run the municipality as a dignified organisation where we have an expanded revenue base.”Nonetheless, he said that sustained efforts to determine the origin of the recent combustions has allowed the municipality to identify as a contributory factor the fact that a large number of scavengers now operate out of the dump site.He said that a directive has since been issued that this practice should not be allowed until the operators can manage the area.“We are tasked with controlling 28 to 29 acres of land, a fairly large expanse, without proper fencing. When the project was initially conceived it was proposed that the area be fenced and that we put in certain control mechanisms for the people who operate out of the dumpsite.”It was intended that those ‘scavengers’ of sound mind be called in, be trained and be labelled ‘litter pickers’ and be put in uniform and be allowed to operate under strict conditions monitored by the municipality,Amir Johnson Jersey, the Mayor disclosed.But since the other components of the project cost more than was first anticipated, the ‘litter pickers’ aspect was removed altogether.“I objected to the removal but then I don’t control the finances, other people do. I objected because I felt that this was an important aspect to manage the dumpsite over the next two to three years.”In the meantime,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, Mayor Green said that the council will be putting in measures that are expected to help the situation.But even as activities are being streamlined to rid the site of scavengers, Green said that the municipality has learnt that the operations of such persons have in fact helped to reduce the amount of waste that has been buried there.However, the Mayor pointed out that it would be the safer move to ensure that they (scavengers) are removed since there is the risk of those who may cause fire at the site which could fuel another spontaneous combustion.And to further reduce fiery eruptions at the site, the Mayor said that efforts will be made to turn the soil and the garbage at the site particularly during dry seasons on a regular basis and douse it with water to keep it cool.“We had started this some time ago but the problem of machinery, equipment and a reliable supply of water prevented this activity from being a continuous one. We have had suggestions to dynamite the site to open it out but we don’t have the skills and expertise,China Jerseys, but I think it’s an idea.”The only other option, the Mayor said, is to constantly saturate the site with water and “I believe my ancestors heard my prayers yesterday (Wednesday) and delivered to us water from the heavens and I hope that continues.”Mayor Green speculated that with torrential rainfall there will no longer be the need to garner pumps from out-of-town locations to ensure that the site remains at an acceptable temperature. |
