The township has requested a public hearing through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality with regards to the proposed expansion of the Oakland Heights landfill in Auburn Hills.
The landfill runs along the south side of Brown Road, just over the township line.
By a 5-1 vote, the township board requested the hearing last week and paperwork was sent to the DEQ, which has until the end of February to render a decision on the landfill application (meaning the hearing will take place before then).
‘This landfill was slated to be closed,? said Clerk Jill Bastian, a longtime member of the solid waste/recycling committee. ‘There has never been any discussion of expansion.?
Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk voted against requesting a hearing.
‘I think it’s overreacting,? he said. ‘I’ve had one complaint about this landfill in my time as supervisor.?
Dywasuk added that the emanating odor usually runs east to west, not north into Orion. He said he is wary of impacting the township’s strong relationship with Auburn Hills and said it’s the DEQ’s job, not Orion’s to oversee the process.
The issue was put on the agenda by Trustee Neal Porter, who said he simply wanted to discuss all of the township’s options in the matter.
He and other members of the board expressed some concern over the size of the landfill as it stands right now. He noted that a possible expansion northward would run right up to the township line.
‘Is the sun going to shine in Orion Township?? Porter asked.
The trustee said he has plenty of unanswered questions about the size of the proposed expansion and its impact on the immediate area.
The township has no indication when the hearing will be held, only that it will be in ‘the vicinity of the proposed disposal area,? not necessarily the municipality of the requester.
‘It will be DEQ holding the public hearing,? Bastian said. ‘They could hold it in Auburn Hills. I have no idea where they’ll hold it.?