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Landfill settlement could present problems
(by Megan Burrow - May 28, 2008)
While the future of
Westvale
Park is being discussed, the issue of settlement in areas of the former landfill has thrown a wrench in the plans.
Borough Engineer Stephen Boswell reported at the May 20 mayor and council meeting that Malcolm Pierney, the engineering firm that worked on the landfill, had a geo-technical engineer to do an estimate on the future decomposition of the landfill’s waste.
The firm estimated that the landfill would consolidate somewhere between .4 and 1.7 feet in its first year. The borough had been planning on installing a hockey rink in one of the older sections of the landfill, where settlement would not be as severe.
However, Boswell explained that even an inch of settlement would destroy the asphalt. He compared the asphalt’s flexible surface to “paint on the dirt” and said the planned roller hockey rink would “become useless very quickly” if settlement were to occur.
To combat the problem, Boswell recommended “surcharging” the area – dumping approximately eight feet of dirt on the surface and leaving it to force consolidation for about a six-month period.
Mayor John Birkner raised his concern that the trucking of tons of dirt to the site would cause damage to the already cracking bike path.
Boswell assured him that putting boards down for the trucks to traverse could protect the path. He added that the bike path was probably crumbling because the landfill was settling.
In a phone interview, Birkner expressed disappointment with this latest development. “I really want to see a hockey rink, so the kids have a place to play, but it’s tough to find a space for it,” he said. “If we surcharge and we’re comfortable with it, then we’ll go ahead. Otherwise, we’ll have to look for other alternatives.”
“The problem is if the asphalt begins to buckle and break, then it becomes unsafe to play on and we are going to be at a point where we’re throwing good money after bad.”
Borough Administrator Bob Hoffmann said the settling of the landfill in the rest of the fields is not a major concern because any sinkholes can be easily filled and maintained.
Burgis Associates is currently working on a recreation and open space element to the borough’s master plan, which will include detailed plans for
Westvale
Park . Proposed ideas include fixing the athletic fields, creating a dog run, and building a recycling center at the former pistol range site. The park is also in need of better irrigation to maintain the fields properly.
This past January, in one of his first acts as mayor, Birkner visited
Westvale
Park with council members and explained his vision for the field. Birkner believes the facility is not yet an “athletic quality surface,” but he hopes soccer and football programs can begin using the facility for a practice site by the end of the summer.
“There needs to be a legitimate plan in place and there never was,” he said. “My focus is getting kids on these fields. That’s my goal.”
Megan Burrow's e-mail address is burrow@northjersey.com.
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