Landfill remains closed
Published 8:09 pm Tuesday, July 29, 2014
The gate to the Brundidge Landfill is locked and the facility is not receiving solid waste from the public.
Rod Morgan, Coffee County administrator, said the Subtitle D landfill is closed in accordance with Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) regulations.
Records at the Pike County Courthouse list Brundidge Acquisitions, LLC as the owner of the Brundidge Landfill.
Morgan said the intention of Brundidge Acquisitions has been to operate the facility. However, the facility is in litigation and the future of the landfill depends on how that is resolved.
The City of Brundidge has filed suit against Coffee County, which authorized the issuance of a $4 million general obligation warrant through Regions Bank for the purpose of purchasing the Brundidge Landfill.
The City of Brundidge contends that the Alabama Code prohibits the acquisition of the Brundidge Landfill by Coffee County because the landfill is more than three miles from the Coffee County border. The City of Brundidge also contends that the purchase of the landfill violates the host government agreement approved by Brundidge when the landfill was first created.
Morgan said when Brundidge Acquisition took ownership of the landfill, the facility had been left idle for a while and had to be brought back to a useable state. The improvements have been made, he said.
“However, the landfill is closed to the public but some waste is being disposed of at the site,” Morgan said.
Brundidge Mayor Jimmy Ramage said he had no comment other than the case is still in litigation.
“Nothing has changed. We are in litigation with Coffee County and ADEM about the issuing of the permit,” Ramage said. “We’ve just got to wait and see what the future holds. We have no control whatsoever. We’re waiting on the courts and we’re 100 percent dependent on the judge and the calendar.”
Ramage said the case is not on any judge’s calendar, yet.
“It could be a while and it probably will be,” he said.