State Senate bill would limit trash transfer center in Oakville

A St. Louis Post-Dispatch report on South County trash station.

http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2010/02/state-senate-bill-would-curtail-trash-transfer-center-in-oakville/

A catch-all bill about local governments includes a section that could sharply curtail the operation of a trash transfer station in Oakville, if Fred Weber Inc. ever builds it. The state Senate on Feb. 10 tentatively approved the measure. It needs a final vote in the Senate before it goes to the House of Representatives.

Fred Weber Inc. has state and St. Louis County permission to build the trash transfer station near Baumgartner and Old Baumgartner roads, but not yet constructed the station.

The local government bill would limit the station’s hours of operation to 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and require that the station close on state and federal holidays. The station could not generate noise levels at the property’s perimeter that are louder than 55 decibels, the bill said.

State Sen. Jim Lembke, R-south St. Louis County, who added the provision to the bill, said it would protect nearby residents and businesses. Many had opposed the station. Lembke, when he was a state representative, was a major figure in trying to block it.

The residents and businesses “still have concerns about property values and safety,” the senator said.

He said he was concerned about trash trucks heading to the station at the same school buses were using area roads. The 55 decibel noise limit is the maximum the county allows for noise in residential areas, he said.

Lembke proposed the limitations last year. It was part of a bill that did not go anywhere, he said. A spokesman for Fred Weber Inc. could not be reached.

Weber has opened a trash transfer station at 200 South Elam Avenue in an area that Valley Park annexed. The station in an industrial area just west of Highway 141 and south of the Meramec River has hours of 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Friday and is closed on some holidays.

The St. Louis County Council in 2004 rejected Weber’s Oakville project on 4.43 acres at 5219 Baumgartner Road. The site was one of three Weber had proposed for the south end of Oakville. All drew vehement opposition from residents, who raised concerns about health, safety, the environment and property values.

Weber filed suit to overturn the council’s rejection of the Baumgartner site. On Oct. 19, 2007, a county circuit judge ruled for Weber and ordered the county to issue a permit. On Oct. 26, 2007 County Counselor Patricia Redington signed a settlement promising not to appeal. County officials said they obtained a better project through negotiations. The state issued a permit for the project in August, 2008.

Opponents filed suit to overturn the settlement. Circuit Judge Barbara Ann Crancer, who has since retired, ruled against the suit and in October 2008, a state appeals court agreed with the judge.