Red Bank Officials Oppose Recycling Company Plan

Posted on: Friday, 21 April 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Larry Higgs, Asbury Park Press, N.J.

Apr. 20--FREEHOLD -- Red Bank officials want to stop plans by Red Bank Recycling to build a transfer station to switch construction debris from trucks to trains at the company's Central Avenue facility, and they say the company already laid the train tracks before Thursday night's hearing started.

Experts hired by the company presented plans to the Monmouth County Solid Waste Advisory Council to have Red Bank Recycling designated in the county solid waste plan for a transfer station for construction demolition material. The next hearing is May 18, and several council members said they want to visit the site and surrounding neighborhood.

Meanwhile, borough officials have cited the company for building the railroad siding without permission.

"Red Bank Recycling already has undertaken construction to create a railroad siding prior to making its presentation to the (solid waste) council," said Stanley Sickles, borough administrator and code official. "There are ties and track there, and NJ Transit has no record of it."

That track work was being done by Conrail, not Red Bank Recycling, said Robert William Duckworth, company owner.

Sickles said Red Bank Recycling was cited for doing the work without filing a site plan or getting approval from borough planning officials.

In addition, the company also was cited for building an 8-foot-high wall of 2,000- to 3,000-pound concrete blocks on the railroad siding side of the property, Sickles said.

The company is seeking county approval to build a 100-by-130-foot transfer station where trucks would dump construction debris that would have recyclable materials separated out before being loaded in 100-ton railroad cars on two new sidings. The transfer station would be operated six days a week and is estimated to bring in 75 trucks a day, according to the application.

Final approval would have to be granted by the state Department of Environmental Protection if the county includes the facility in its solid waste plan.

The transfer station will adhere to all DEP regulations dealing with dust, noise pollution and debris control, said Michael Weissliz, the recycling company attorney. The station would operate from 7 a.m to 4 p.m. weekdays and 7 to 11 a.m. Saturdays, and unloading of trucks and loading rail cars would be done indoors.

Three Red Bank council members came to the meeting to oppose the plan, saying it would have an adverse effect on traffic and on residents who live around the recycling center.

"Red Bank will experience 500 to 600 trucks (a week) forever," said Pasquale "Pat" Menna, council president. "At what point does traffic reach the saturation point?"

Menna pointed out that a nearby park is used for parking by about 200 Red Bank Catholic High School students.

Councilman John Curley said borough roads in that part of town are in bad shape and the borough is strapped for funds to fix them. Adding 75 trucks a day would make them get worse faster.

"The traffic study didn't point out the multipurpose field to the south and day care center to the north of the site," Curley said. "Something like this would be overwhelming, and we can't afford this."

Borough Engineer Donald Norbut said control has been taken out of the borough's hands to address those issues.

Red Bank Recycling had made a prior request to the council to be rezoned from light industrial to industrial uses, which had been referred to a committee, Menna said.

More traffic concerns

Shrewsbury Mayor Emilia Siciliano criticized the county board for not notifying her town about the application.

"Congestion is our biggest problem," she said. "This council provided us no information."

Red Bank officials are preparing an official response to the application that will be filed with the county before the May 18 meeting.

"There doesn't seem to be any benefit," Sickles said. "It will have an adverse effect having 75 additional trucks a day access it, which takes them through park property heavily utilized by families and children."