Judge grants Greensboro landfill opponents a victory : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis

GREENSBORO -- Guilford County Superior Court Judge Richard Stone has ruled in favor of opponents trying to block the reopening of the White Street Landfill to household waste.

In an order issued this morning, Stone granted a preliminary injunction against the City Council, barring it from entering into a contract with a company that would open new dump areas at the White Street Landfill. The injunction means nothing can happen until there is a conclusion to a lawsuit opponents have filed against the city.

Council members were poised to sign a contract with either Waste Industries or Gate City Waste Services to run the landfill and possibily open future dump sites. Landfill opponents, who sued the city last month, argued that the council must first hold a public hearing, consider alternative landfill locations and research socioeconomic data before it agrees to open new dump areas at White Street.

Read a full story in Friday's News & Record or e-edition. Follow indepth local government coverage of the landfill and other issues here.

jandrew28

June 16, 2011 - 12:29 pm EDT

Congratulations Judge Stone, you have just cost the tax payers of Greensboro a tremendous amount of money. If the White Street Land Fill had been closed completely, I would say these people have a reason to be upset. But the fact of the matter is that the landfill was never closed; only household trash was diverted elsewhere, because at the time it saved the taxpayers money. Now that using the landfill for household trash will save the tax payers money, you are allowing a small group of people, many of which knew the landfill was there, to cost their fellow citizens thousands of dollars while they take their battle to court. What is there to discuss, I do not recall ever seeing anything that said we will never use this landfill again for household trash and it was never closed. I hope the residents of this county remember this when it is time to re-elect you!

rooster8786

June 16, 2011 - 12:39 pm EDT

I'm guessing Judge Stone is looking to join a law firm at full partner with this injunction. Of course, any firm won't want a jurist that is so flawed on the law. See you at the next election Judge Pinhead...

Tommy

June 16, 2011 - 12:44 pm EDT

Does this mean that existing permited areas of the landfill can resume accepting household waste?

flagstik

June 16, 2011 - 12:45 pm EDT

Let the folks get used to it just as we had to when the new runway was forced down our throats on the other side of town. I like the fact that the council is ready to make a tough call and save some dough.

citywatcher

June 16, 2011 - 1:01 pm EDT

YES there is a God!. Sometimes we have to do whats RIGHT and not always go by the dollar.

June 16, 2011 - 1:22 pm EDT

That you are part of a vocal minority doesn't make this ruling RIGHT! The facts around the lawsuit, as reported by the N&R, make this ruling absurd, unjustified, and liable for overturning on appeal. Not to mention the wasted dollars a few are causing.

June 16, 2011 - 1:29 pm EDT

sometimes the minority is right

June 16, 2011 - 2:28 pm EDT

No sometimes the minority is just LOUD not right. In this case, they're LOUD and wrong. Come up with a viable alternative instead of the tired old NIMBY and racism argument. I always find it entertaining that the minority says NIMBY but has no problem with dumping our trash on Montgomery County.

Panacea

June 16, 2011 - 4:40 pm EDT

And sometimes the majority is LOUD.

Our democratic system was designed to protect people from the 'tyranny of the majority."

While I do think the landfill should be able to accept household waste again, I also think the people who live near there have a right to be heard.

Let the process work.

gsonc214

June 16, 2011 - 4:46 pm EDT

They have been heard, the same few over and over again at every council meeting. That didn't work so now they figure they'll go the American way and file a lawsuit with limited to no grounds according to everything the N&R (which will never be mistaken for a conservative news source) has printed. I would have to imagine that some combination of the city and the contractors have thought about these issues and addressed them in the process.

terrier2003

June 16, 2011 - 5:17 pm EDT

I want to reach out and thank all those who have filed for the lawsuits...they have now cost us more money as tax payers. question in point: when will we cease paying a premium for these people?

June 16, 2011 - 5:16 pm EDT

They have been heard. And the majority have spoken against them. That is the democratic process...no?

June 16, 2011 - 7:10 pm EDT

No it's not the democratic process. Today's democratic process, if your African and don't like the results or things aren't going your way, you cry racism. That's the democratic process; the African American way.

retiree

June 17, 2011 - 7:30 am EDT

So if the majority of the public in our country doesn't want Obamacare, that means Obama the administration (and the payoffs they gave to Democrat members of Congress) were tyrannical, right?

June 16, 2011 - 5:15 pm EDT

I would be completely on board with the minority if those people would pick up the slack with regard to the cost of sending the trash elsewhere vs. expanding services again at the landfill.

So, in short...let them pay for it.

1234

June 16, 2011 - 7:36 pm EDT

Except when they are wrong...middle class people live in Oak Ridge and Winston Salem...they knew the land fills were there and it is priced into the home prices...the land fill was never closed. What a wiener of a "Judge"...

jpfloyd

June 16, 2011 - 1:35 pm EDT

How you come to the conclusion that God had something to do with a pinhead who wants to find favor in the eyes of a few citizens who choose to fight a useless battle is beyond me. We are talking about an EXISTING landfill. It was there when most of the idiots crying like a child who doesn't get there way moved there. I would completely understand opposing a NEW landfill in your neighborhood, but its been there for years. The fact that you support the idea of SHIPPING trash to another county shines the light of ignorance on your crybaby butt. I am very happy that I don't live in this liberal cess pool of ignorance anymore. You didn't hear me wailing when they put the GTCC aviation campus on the farm that my property overlooks. I thank God that I am not as ignorant as you....

June 16, 2011 - 5:23 pm EDT

There are a couple of things you can count on. 1. citywatcher not caring about what the majority thinks. 2. citywatcher actually believing in what he/she says.

At least you didn't let me down. However I'm perplexed how you came to the conclusion that because there was a temp injunction granted, that God must exist. I guess I assumed the existance of God before this. however, when the people on that side of town stop wasting time and money on the inevitable I'll be sure to re-affirm gods existance when they expand the landfill and save the taxpayers of this city money.

June 17, 2011 - 7:28 am EDT

"What's right" is in the eye of the beholder. You don't have a monopoly on the truth and I don't either.

HotRodLincoln

I don't care what they do with it as long as they don't think they're gonna dump it in Rockingham county.

June 16, 2011 - 4:41 pm EDT

Unlikely. The whole point of this exercise is to cut the cost of shipping it now.

June 16, 2011 - 5:24 pm EDT

Those fighting the measure would have no problem dumping in your backyard....so long as it is not in theirs. I'm not sure if that is selfish...it seems selfish.

June 17, 2011 - 7:34 am EDT

The vast majority of people living near the landfill came there AFTER the landfill was created. They knew it was there and chose to make a decision to live there.

bbzeus14

June 16, 2011 - 1:41 pm EDT

Now that the "distraction" of Rita Danish is apparently over for City Council's "gang of five" (Knight, Matheny, Rakestraw, Thompson and Wade) the right-wing Republicans will probably get very busy selecting Mike Barber as the new City Attorney to "handle the landfill matter" -- or maybe -- hire"Rhino" John Hammer! So, John has no law degree? Well, the "gang" doesn't care! And btw, Mike may have a problem if he's still a registered Democrat, and not presently a "card-carrying riight-wing Rethug."

And I wonder if City Manager Young is thinking about "departing the looney bin."

June 16, 2011 - 5:26 pm EDT

Danish was hired by the old council on their way out and it wasn't until John Blust's bill passed that allowed the council to can Danish. Until that bill, they didn't have the power to fire her.

Amanda Lehmert

June 16, 2011 - 6:24 pm EDT

Danish was hired by the city manager.

buzzman

June 16, 2011 - 9:56 pm EDT

I wish folks would get the facts straight before commenting. The "old" council was long gone when Danish was hired six (6) months ago.

youngprofessional

June 16, 2011 - 3:01 pm EDT

Did any of you actually read the ruling? This is not a win or loss for either party. This is the judge keeping the existing order in place so that he may continue to review the facts and arguments made before him. In fact he stated that he would most likely have a final decision this week vs. the 10 additional days. This is a typical judicial procedure, and the N&R as usual gives it a sensational title to drive traffic and newspaper sales. It would be nice for once to read the whole story and not the 10 second soundbite.

JRL2

June 16, 2011 - 3:03 pm EDT

This Judge must be a Democrate, has no problem spending tax payer's money shipping the garbage so we have to pay, pay, pay.

Leonard

June 16, 2011 - 3:48 pm EDT

Dear Young Professional. This was not a temporary injunction. This was the judges final ruling. The lawsuit will now have to make its way through the court system. This may not happen until late 2011 or early 2012. The opponents against the council picking a private company to dispose of Greensboro's waste have WON.

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