By Chuck Schlarb
While Mr. Sweeney is certainly correct in his assessment of the advice given by the county's attorney at the time, the commissioners were correct in their actions by giving a voice to Mr. Dolan and the community at large. What Mr. Sweeney does not include in his commentary are the relevant facts of the matter.
Recology came to this county ready and willing to do anything to get a large parcel of land set aside for them to utilize as a dumping ground for garbage from out of state. At the same time they were negotiating here, they were being convicted of a felony in California
for bribery of a governmental official. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20071228-1044-ca-countycorruption.html. Some fault may be lain at the feet of our county officials for accepting the assurances of representatives of a felonious company, however, our commissioners did realize their mistake and came to understand that there is indeed "no such thing as a free lunch." It is a very good thing that they did so, because after a majority of citizens became aware of what was transpiring and started to voice their concerns, some very unpleasant details about the project started to see the light of day.
Those concerns were voiced at the NDEP meeting in Winnemucca in early December. As this paper reported, the opposition to the landfill was overwhelming, notwithstanding Mr. Sweeney's own statement of support. Among the many complaints expressed were: Pollution of the aquifer, inadequate soils for construction and flooding. If this project were allowed to proceed, the cost for rehabilitation of Desert Valley after the certain failure of the ill-conceived design, will be at the taxpayer's expense. This would far outweigh any attorney's fees that the county has so far incurred.
If Mr. Sweeney is concerned with financial encumbrances to the taxpayer, perhaps he should look at what the future will bring instead of concentrating narrowly on short-sighted and erroneous assessments of what has already transpired. By their actions, the County Commissioners have shown they are concerned with the future of this community and I'm glad that this is the case.
Chuck Schlarb
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