CENTREVILLE, Md. - A new landfill could be in the works for Queen Anne's County.
County leaders say they have an agreement with three other counties along the Mid-Shore to host the new regional landfill, in Centreville. They say this proposal is 7 years in the future.
Queen Anne's County commissioner Jim Moran says Queen Anne's county is involved with Talbot, Caroline, and Kent county to all share a regional landfill.
Right now, Ridgely which is in Caroline County is hosting the multi-county dump. Each county has a 20-year lifespan and Ridgely's will be done by 2030.
This agreement started in 1988 -with Caroline, Talbot, and Queen Anne's counties. They all agreed to pool their resources for better cost advantages. The first one opened in 1991 in Talbot county. Kent county, Maryland joined in 1993. So, they are scheduled to host the landfill site from 2051 to 2070.
Moran says Ridgely's landfill has not reach capacity, but it is Queen Anne's County's turn. He says, "Every county has to take their turn at this. It's been at this location since 1993. It's been on the record books, it has been in the comprehensive plan. The county has planned all along for this as the location for the landfill."
The landfill would be located just off of Harper Rd. in Centreville.
But neighbors in the Shrewsbury Farm area question if this is the best place.
Dale Burns says, "Is it Queen Anne's County's turn yes. So we have to stand up and do it if its our turn. But, this is not the right location. I think it may have been an okay decision back then but it's certainly not a good location now."
The neighborhood is relatively new. But their homes would be within a few hundred feet of the landfill.
Lisa Shaffer says, "It just feels very impractical with all of the houses right here. We certainly never would've considered buying here if we'd known just right on the other side of the property line there would be a mountain of trash for years."
Burns added that the proposed landfill should go some where off of Highway 301. He says, "All the neighborhoods around here- it's just gonna be traumatic. Its a safety issue within school buses and kids learning to drive. It's really a heavy impact. It needs to be located off of a major highway like 301 where trucks have direct access to it without going through much of neighborhoods and small roads."
As for the next county meeting on this subject, no date has been set.
But people within the Shrewsbury Farm Neighborhood say they'll be hosting a meeting, Friday at 5:30, to get citizen involvement and discuss information. That meeting will take place at the Centreville Library.