"Kersey Valley will be developed as a state of the art facility [with] the best technology available."--Perry Kairis, High Point Public Services Director, Hearing transcript
<< Next weekend it had snowed but buzzards helped themselves, snacking at another uncovered area.
Over MLK weekend >>
Sloppy cover attracted more buzzards.
Buzzards continued snacking on garbage. uncovered by failed approved alternative cover.
Traffic, noise, odor
MRR (now WCA) operates a C&D landfill nearby. >>>
WCA entrance. The burying area is behind the trees. They seem to try to display an agricultural field look there as much as possible. Dust and noise exist but operation practices and pretty good isolation make it much less intrusive than Kersey Valley.
Plus, there seems to be an on-going, program to display a professional face.
If it's an attempt to counter bad publicity from the MRR associate, D. H. Griffin, dubious record at Wiley Davis landfill near Greensboro after being shut down by the state, they're on the right track. In the photos below, even though Wiley Davis operators are gone, the landfill remains and so does the neighborhood problem.
Kersey Valley buzzards vie for the title of King of the Backhoe.
Equipment at Kersey Valley...
Some equipment
at Kersey Valley
Tarp machine used to apply the "approved alternative cover."
Tarp machine and its bulldozer
SCHOOL'S OPEN Drivers of school busses loaded with kids also have to cope with landfill traffic.
This bus already passed one gate. The left turn will take it past another.
Truck driver's view out the dump exit road. Bus is on the public road mentioned at left.
Another busload of kids makes the same left turn as it passes a garbage truck.
One load of kids finishes its turn as another approaches.
Even a big school bus is no match for a 20,000 to 40,000 plus pound truck.
The school bus cargo is infinitely more precious.
Four landfill vehicles and one soccer mom. Scary odds.
The dead animal truck .leaving the landfill.
Landfill truck.almost hidden in its own soot. emissions.
More Kersey Valley landfill.
They just keep on comin'.
Road surface splattered with spilled leachate.
Another landfill truck spews particulate matter (soot.)
We have no quarrel with useful scrounging such as setting aside this kid's toy.
But a closed landfill gate next door to your home is still a dumping area for some .
Landfillery doesn't like publicity. This dump guard tried to intimidate us into stopping our photography.
We videoed him.
High Point official's short list of "gotta get rid ofs." to fulfull their notion of making the neighborhood better (for them.) Neighborly?
In June 2005 the US Supreme Court told towns like High Point
"Go for it! You got the powah and the people don't!"
This little church had to go even though it's been part of the community for 75 years. High Point officials already destroyed two historic 19th century gold mines and several homes. Neighborly?
GOOD NEIGHBORS?"The landfill will be a good neighbor." --Carl Wills, High Point Public Works Director
Before Kersey Valley arrived, this official assured the public it would be a good neighbor. When they're trying to look good, High Point officials still refer to us as "the neighbors" even though these officials live an average of six miles away.
High Point officials added these neighborly touches around the neighborhood woods that generations of kids (including us) have played in, learned about the environment in, and just been kids in.
Folks can't take much more of this brand of good neighborliness.
COVER IT UP! REVISITED...
Panning and stitching frames together creates panoramic views like this.
Two weeks later
Dump buzzards know when and where supper's a cinch to get.
Ten seconds earlier, this garbage was covered with dozens of buzzards but we were not fast enough with the camera.
Click on this image for a large view Sunday panorama of Kersey Valley landfill.
December 15, 2004
INSPECTION DAY AT KERSEY VALLEY
What's so special about it? We were there too!
We didn't know it was an inspection day but once again, we got a direct photo comparison with purported official Kersey Valley conditions.
LEFT While photographing these road conditions toward one of the landfill gates, a garbage truck exited in a cloud of dust, even though the roads are paved. Seniors "D" live 20 yards away in the clump of trees directly across the road at right.
A state inspector visited The inspector continued Past the filth on the road Through the dust bank,
Kersey Valley on this day past the garbage truck into the dust bank drifting around the curve out of
and passed us as they left. that made the dust. toward senior "D"s home. sight. They did not return.
THE STATE LANDFILL INSPECTOR PASSED US AS WE PHOTOGRAPHED
(1) (2) (3) (4)
Photos (1) (2) We continued with our look at road conditions.
Photo (3) Shortly, the leachate truck showed up to take care of any leachate pond overfill problems???
Photo (4) Then the landfill super (after a cell phone tip off) emerged to see what we were photographing...
(but just sat there and watched, asked nothing, and did nothing...)
Road conditions
had not changed.
10 minutes before the MRR photo session, here is the road in front of
Kersey Valley Gate
New Year's Eve, 2004
(1) (2) (3)
(1) Note residential mailboxes. Much lower density than Kersey Valley. What density is acceptable?
(2) Rural US mail carrier follows a landfill bound truck.
(3) A commercial hauler and a private hauler with a trailer.
(1) (2) (3)
(1) Traffic jam. Four landfill trucks are in this one frame.
(2) Seconds later. Soccer mom following this truck had to navigate that truck log jam.
(3) The high berm, buffer, and landscaping efforts done at the outset are welcome.
Monitoring is less intense here but we've never found the road to be very trashy or muddy.
MRR of HIGH POINT, LLC - NEW YEARS EVEwe did a random video traffic inventory.
The camera faced MRR's gate seen in the background. We merely let it run and photographed events.
EVEN THE WOODS THE KIDS PLAY IN
THE ENGINEER AND THE POLITICIAN
New Years weekend, several folks adjoining Kersey Valley complained of a very strong dump odor. Why?
Backyard view from their kitchen window.>>>>
Pie in the sky promises from one, shoulder shrugging indifference from the other.
A closer look.
Even closer.
SOME OFFSITE KERSEY VALLEY EFFECTS DURING WORKING HOURS
We were photographing Kersey Valley conditions such as the spillage pushed to the shoulder by a water truck
Like as this diaper.... and this medical syringe.
THEN WHAT?
We gave officials nearly an hour and returned to see if anything had changed.
Dust in senior couple "D"s
faces had not changed.
Landfill traffic continued in the intersection behind the camera, 3 trucks in one pic.
Links to more photo galleries at bottom
The absurdity of landfills close to homes is closely rivaled
by the absurdity of officials' claims of excellent cover.
Approved Alternative Cover (a tarp) is their magic bullet.
COLORED STARS POINT OUT FAILED APPROVED ALTERNATIVE COVER
NO COLORED STAR MEANS THERE WAS NO ATTEMPT MADE TO COVER IT UP.
