Eaton Twp. residents grill Ross company officials at zoning meeting (UPDATED)

This story was updated to correct the number of acres of property Ross wants rezoned, as well as to correct a quote incorrectly attributed to a Ross official. EATON TWP. — A group of upset, scared and curious residents turned out at Wednesday night's township Zoning Commission meeting to grill Ross Environmental Services over its proposal to rezone property it owns in the township to a "heavy industrial" designation. Township and other area residents who spoke at Wednesday night's zoning meeting were unanimously against the plan. They wanted to know what Ross' expansion plans would do to their property values, their food supply, their health and what effect it would have on the surrounding environment in one of Lorain County's fastest-growing townships. Ross is asking to have the 218 acres rezoned so it can build a "monofill," where it will bury treated waste ash from the neighboring incinerator between plastic sheeting and cover it, on 23 of those acres. Wednesday's meeting was strictly "about rezoning," commission member James Drozdowski told the crowd that packed the tiny Eaton Township Hall. He asked everyone to show respect for others and their opinions. Drozdowski said the zoning commission would consider only the matter of rezoning, and that Ross was still working with government environmental protection officials on its proposed monofill plans and permits. Nothing's been approved, and "it's not going to be voted on tonight," he said. The commission will take up the matter again on March 22. It will then make a recommendation to the township Board of Trustees, who can side with the zoning commission or overrule it. Ross wants to expand its waste-handling capabilities at its Giles Road facility, where it incinerates hazardous waste. Approximately 23 acres of Ross property would be rezoned from light industrial to heavy industrial to build a "monofill." Ross would then bury treated waste ash from the neighboring incinerator atop a layer of clay covered by a layer of plastic sheeting to stop any contaminated water from leaching out. The treated ash mixture would be buried and covered daily to prevent wind or water erosion. The proposed monofill would be no taller than 50 feet, continuously monitored and tested, and has an expected 48-year lifespan. Ross would be financially responsible for any contamination or cleanup in the future, officials said. Ross' statements Wednesday and at a public information session on March 1 didn't seem to do much to allay residents' fears. Resident Elizabeth Rattray said the township's zoning code has "inadequate protections" against Ross being responsible for the contamination. "If there's a leak, what's the protocol?" a man named Kevin Taylor asked. "How do you go about cleaning up that mess?" Dale Elek said what comes out of the Ross incinerator "burned my lungs." "Haven't you lowered our property values enough?" he asked, adding: "I never would have bought my house out here 50 years ago" if he knew what he knows now. Heavy industrial property "always degrades life in communities," one resident said. The Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern cargo train carrying chemicals through East Palestine in Columbiana County cast a shadow over the room. The Ohio EPA reported Wednesday that about 2,860 tons of solid waste had been removed from the site. Of that, approximately 400 tons have been hauled to Ross Incineration Services to be incinerated. The meeting was tense at times: Andrew Smith, a bearded man wearing a black bowler hat, long black coat and a tie who rose to speak said he was from Elyria and that he had brought a megaphone to the meeting "because I don't have a rifle." He then began shouting at the top of his lungs about "class warfare" and the divide between Ross and Eaton Township residents before he was escorted out of the hall by two Lorain County sheriff's deputies. Nick Masters, who last week protested Ross bringing in solid waste from the East Palestine derailment, told the zoning commission he was concerned about the chemicals being burned in Ross' incinerator and what they might do to his pregnant wife and the couple's child. "I don't think they should be allowed to do business in the township," Masters said of Ross. "I don't care how many jobs are lost." Ross officials told the gathering they are not permitted by the EPA to handle polychlorinated biphenyls or radioactive materials. The monofill is protected from leaks and failure in part by the geology of the region, said Ross Vice President for Technology Steve Goldman. Ross always complies with state and federal regulations, said Pat Lawson, vice president for corporate compliance and risk management. Every single load of solid waste trucked into its Giles Road facility is tested, she said. Rattray was unmoved. "We don't want it here!" she said about the monofill, asking Ross officials if they were "going to sell your soul for the dollars." "How can you consider being for this when everyone here is against Ross, except Ross?" Masters asked the zoning commission. "Respect the community versus the corporation." He also asked what Eaton Township and area residents were supposed to do if they didn't want Ross in their town. "Well, then move," a woman somewhere in the room replied. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @DaveOBrienCT.