by Lynne Jackson
March 4, 2006
The Honorable Michael O’Brien, chair of the General Services Committee of the Albany Common Council, organized two tours of the Albany Landfill, for both the Common Council members and the public.
Of course, I to attend.
So, after getting up, and running two miles in Lincoln Park, I put on a whole lot of clothes, got in my car, and drove to Rapp Road.
I arrived just before Mayor Jerry Jennings drove up in his big, black-tinted official SUV. He rolled the window down and indicated to me that I should go in the yellow building.
I walked into the yellow office building, and was greeted by Joe, who introduced himself and offered me doughnuts. Within the next few minutes, others arrived for the tour: The Honorables Michael O’Brien, Daniel Herring, Barbara Smith, Cathy Fahey, and Sandra Fox from the Common Council, Willard (Bill) Bruce from the Albany City Department of General Services, and three people from the media.
One of the media camera-men asked if there was anyone present from the "Pine Bush". I carefully explained that I was from "Save the Pine Bush", not to be confused with the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission.
It was very cold out, about 20 degrees. To see the proposed site of the landfill expansion, we all piled into a couple of vehicles. Bill Bruce, Sandra Fox and I joined the Mayor in his official vehicle.
The first most striking thing we saw was tens of thousands of plastic bags stuck in the trees, hanging off the branches, trapped. Mayor Jennings said that there were a lot of bags now, as a result of the wind storm. There are staff at the landfill whose sole job is picking up plastic bags. Cherry pickers are even used to take the bags out of the tree branches.
Grocery bags. Thousands and thousands. Strangling the trees around the landfill.
Later, the Honorable Barbara Smith suggested that something needs to be done about these bags. She mentioned the proposed 17 cent grocery bag tax in San Francisco. (After I went home, I searched to see if the tax was passed. I found an good explanation of the proposal, but no indication that it had been passed. )
Mayor Jennings pointed out the sound barrier which the City built for the residents of the Fox Run Mobile Home Park.
Eventually, our caravan stopped. We all got out of the vehicles and listened to the Mayor explain that we were now where the proposed landfill expansion was to be.
The Mayor said that the City had purchased the land in the 1970s for "municiple purposes, probably for the landfill." In the 1990s, the City had dedicated the land to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve.
From where we were standing on the left was a very steep slope up to the landfill. On the right, was sand dunes and pitch pine trees. If the land looked a little ratty, it was clearly because of the effects of the landfill. (See Integrating the Landfill into the Pine Bush, article in the March April Save the Pine Bush newsletter which describes Dr. George Robinson’s work recovering landfills and his assessment of the Pine Bush surrounding the landfill.)
We were standing in a valley the floor of which is Pine Bush Preserve, with more Preserve on one side and the cliff of the landfill on the other.
The Mayor began by stating how glamous his job was – – here he was on a Saturday morning at the LANDFILL. He said he did not expect to spend so much of his time as Mayor on garbage.
The Mayor explained to the cameras that the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission benefits from the landfill, because a portion of the tipping fees from dumping in the landfill go to the Commission, about $200,000 to $300,000 per year.
The Mayor said that the Pine Bush Preserve would wind up with more land, because of the land the City would buy to mitigate the landfill expansion.
The Mayor said that this new proposed expansion would last the City eight years, and that would be enough time for the City to solve the problems with the Coeymans landfill. With the life of the current landfill expected to be four years, with the proposed expansion, the City would have twelve years to solve the Coeymans problem.
The Mayor said that the City has spent $4.5 million to in purchase options on the Coeymans site, and that the City would own the Coeymans site next year. Twelve years would give the City enough time to solve the newly identified issues with the Coeymans site, such as the wetlands.
When it came for my turn to talk to the media, I simply stated that where will this stop? Taking land out of the Preserve for a landfill is simply not acceptable.
Then, we all got back into the cars, and drove back to where we came from, and then stopped inside the recycling building.
Perhaps the most distressing part of this journey was when I brought up the issue of the officers at the door of City Hall who search citizens upon entering City Hall. I asked the Mayor why we have to give up our fourth ammendment rights to enter City Hall. The Mayor said it was required by the Office of Court Administration. I said that no other municiple hall (Troy, Schenectady, Guilderland) have searchs at the front door, and the Mayor replied that Albany was the only City Hall will a court inside.
I said but the officers don’t search everyone. The Mayor said, oh yes they do. And I said, no they don’t. For example, the last time I went to City Hall, the police officer went through my purse very thoroughly.
However, I was meeting my friend John Wolcott. When I told John of how thorough the officer had been with me, John was surprized. John told me that the officer said John had too many things in his pockets to go through and waived him through.
That is when Sandra Fox (15th Ward) said that she was really glad people were searched because there are some really skanky looking people who come to City Hall. She said that she thought that John Wolcott was "funny looking"!
I was quite speechless that an elected official would say to my face that one of my dearest friends was "funny looking".
To go to the top of the landfill, Bill Bruce drove the SUV. He drove up to the very edge of the cliff of the landfill. So close to the edge, it looked as if he drove another few feet, we would have plunged down the side of the landfill.
It was bitter cold and windy at the top of the landfill. I immediately started taking photos. But, it seemed like I was the only one dressed for the weather, and no one wanted to stay long.
I could have stayed, but instead, I chose to drive back with my three landfill companions, Mayor Jennings, Bill Bruce and Sandra Fox.
We were talking about what possible solutions to the garbage problem.
At this point, Sandra Fox made another absolutely amazing comment: she said that if you don’t have a solution you have no right to criticize.
She went on to say that she didn’t like how the Pine Bush looks. She mentioned coming back from Germany, and looking at the Dunes housing development in the Pine Bush as a possible place to purchase a house. But, she said the Pine Bush is too scraggly looking. Though I cannot be positive that she actually used the term, she certainly indicated she thought the Pine Bush is ugly.
