T-L Photo/ ROBERT A. DEFRANK A relay station for waste may be located off National Road near St. Clairsville by next year. Kimble Recycling & Waste Disposal has applied to the Ohio EPA for a permit. Kimble says it will bring quality and expertise to the situation, but some community leaders are voicing concerns about the proposed location.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Kimble Recycling & Waste Disposal is planning construction of a new waste transfer station off U.S. 40 near St. Clairsville, but some nearby residents and businesses are objecting to the plan.

The company’s permit application is being processed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Company President Keith Kimble said he is confident in his company’s experience and ability to operate such a station without disturbing neighboring businesses or causing disruption, but some businesses and community leaders have voiced reservations.

“We applied for a transfer station permit. It’s intended for just solid, non-hazardous waste that comes from the communities. We’re hoping to provide a second alternative to the one transfer station that exists in the area,” Kimble said.

“Our station’s going to be totally enclosed,” he said, adding that Ohio EPA requirements will be met. “It’s all going to be state-of-the-art for the local community, both commercial haulers and residentials.”

He said there currently is traffic congestion and time lost for people using the existing transfer station nearby. That station is located off Belmont County Road 214; the Kimble station would be off U.S. 40 east of St. Clairsville in the area of Mehlman’s Cafeteria and other businesses.

“The Kimble family’s been operating waste collection in and around St. Clairsville for over 25 years, so this is just an effort to provide some additional opportunity and options not only for our trucks but also for the other waste collectors and residents.”

Kimble said his company is not in the business of long-hauling trash, and it operates a landfill in Dover, Ohio, about 50 miles away.

He said trash will be dumped into the proposed building, where it will be contained without runoff, then transferred to a larger tractor-trailer and hauled to Dover. Trash should mostly be loaded out the same day it is dropped off or within 24 hours.

Regarding the OEPA application, Kimble said he expects the approval process to take one to two months; construction would take longer. He hopes to have the station operational by late 2020 or early 2021.

In terms of traffic, Kimble said five to eight trucks would be taking material away daily, with 20-30 smaller vehicles bringing trash in daily. Kimble promises the traffic will be “insignificant” compared to existing traffic.

“It’s hard to find an ideal site for a transfer station, so when we found this 9-acre property that has direct access to Route 40 and has water and sewer and distances that are required by EPA between houses and our facility are readily met and then some. We’re about three times farther away than we would need to be from any resident.”

He also said he believes the businesses nearby are compatible.

“We’re not a beginner. We’ve been in business as a family for 60 years,” he said, adding the firm operates multiple facilities in northeastern Ohio.

Richland Township Trustee Rick Ferrell said the trustees as a board have not taken a position on the matter, but some constituents and businesses have expressed concern. Ferrell added that the trustees have no authority in the matter.

“There’s nothing we can do to prevent a business from opening as long as they’re within the legal aspects,” he said. “I respect landowners’ rights. I’m for every property owner in the township.”

St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce Director Wendy Anderson had recently heard the news. She voiced some worries.

“Personally, I feel like it’s going to be a devastation to that area up there on 40,” she said. “You’re taking a farmers’ market, you’re taking an event center, you’re taking a restaurant, and you’re going to add in a waste system?”

She is also concerned whether such a station might adversely impact downtown businesses.

“I just feel like we were blindsided, and I don’t think the people of St. Clairsville need to have that worry,” she said.

New St. Clairsville Safety and Service Director Jeremy Greenwood said he recently heard about the proposal and met with Kimble. He said the city law director is determining whether the city should make a statement.

“It’s outside the city limits,” Greenwood said. “There’s not much, if anything, we can do.”

Belmont County Commissioner Jerry Echemann attended an OEPA public meeting and voiced some of these issues. He said Kimble is a reputable company, but the commissioners take issue with the proposed location.

“We are asking that their permit be not approved, and that’s just entirely based on the location,” he said, adding that the site is close to The Health Plan’s former buildings that will house county courts and the prosecutor’s office. He said court traffic already will increase the number of vehicles on that stretch of road.

“It’s just the kind of thing that needs to be out in the countryside,” he said.

Jerry Ebbert of nearby Ebbert’s Farm Market said he had no comment.

The Ohio EPA released a brief statement, saying the application was “under review.”