January 11, 2006
by Jaime Bumbarger
Mo Valley Bureau Chief
Reproduced with permission.

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Commissioner Exarchos claims Rush supers were "bought" by landfill developer

BELLEFONTE-- The verbal sparring between Centre County and Rush Township continued yesterday as the chairman of the board of commissioners accused the township supervisors of being "bought" by a landfill developer.

"It looks to me like the relationship between the supervisors and Resource Recovery is uncomfortably close," Chris Exarchos told the media after yesterday's board of commissioners' meeting. Mr. Exarchos said it gives the impression that the supervisors were "bought" by Resource Recovery.

"Look at the record -- what Resource Recovery wants, Resource Recovery gets," he continued. "I'm left with no other conclusion."

Mr. Exarchos later said he did not feel any money was exchanged in return for a vote but explained his frustration at what he perceives is the township trying to circumvent county involvement. He said the county had little to no input when supervisors signed the host municipality agreement with Resource Recovery in 2004, and its concerns over the effect of truck traffic on local roadways also "fell on deaf ears."

"We've tried to stay neutral on the dump, but the traffic impacts are a serious matter," he said. "The impact is not in Rush Township. The modifications affect their neighbors in Snow Shoe Township.

"If I was sitting on the board (of supervisors), my conscience would bother me quite a bit."

The township is currently in the process of developing its own comprehensive plan, which would limit the county's role even further. According to the Municipal Planning Code, a local municipality's comprehensive plan, subdivision and land use ordinance or zoning supersedes the county's jurisdiction.

The township's comprehensive plan is nearing completion, with a public hearing on it scheduled for Feb. 6. But commissioners called into question the relationship between Rush Township and the engineering firm of Rettew and Associates, the firm it hired to help develop the comprehensive plan. Rettew was also contracted by Resource Recovery to develop the plans for the landfill and industrial park.

Mr. Exarchos said it would be reasonable to assume that Rettew would write the comprehensive plan to be favorable to the development proposal, a concern Commissioner Steve Dershem shared. "It certainly looks inappropriate," he said. "Even if it was done properly, it doesn't bode well."

Rush Township officials said the commissioner's statements were serious allegations. Supervisor Pat Couturiaux demanded a public apology. "Of all the townships, we can say we represent our citizens," he said. "Rush Township has never left anyone call the shots for us. We won't let the county call the shots, and we won't let Resource Recovery."

"Centre County is trying to play Big Brother to Rush Township," he said. "My patience is wearing thin."

His counterpart, Jack Shannon, said Mr. Exarchos had to live with his comments, but added, "I suspect that Mr. Exarchos regrets making the statement at this time."

As far as their dealings with Rettew, supervisors claim they have also been on the up-and-up, explaining that they chose the firm based on its previous work with townships of comparable size and demographics. Mr. Shannon said they originally approached the township's engineer of record, Richard H. Bulger and Associates of Hollidaysburg, to complete the study, but because of its small size, the company said it would take at least 18 months, so it looked elsewhere. Rettew did the legwork, he said, but Bulger still had input on the plan. Mr. Shannon also stated that it is the municipal planning division of Rettew, which is based in Camp Hill, that is working on the plan, not the Lancaster-based construction division that is working with Resource Recovery.

In hindsight, Mr. Shannon said he can understand some of the concerns but recalled an anecdote someone once told him, "A guy never looks under the bed when he comes home unless he's been there himself."

"We never considered it at the time," he said. "We were looking at the end product, a guide for the township for the next 20 years."

Scott Conklin, commissioner and Rush Township resident, said emotions are running high and suggested all parties involved take a step back so that whatever is in the best interests of the community is done. "I feel the supervisors believe the decisions they made are in the best interests of the citizens," he said, although he disagreed with their assessment.

While Centre County Commissioners called the supervisors' actions over the past several months "unneighborly," Rush Township officials said it is not they who were being bad neighbors. "If we weren't looking out for the people's best interests, we wouldn't be looking for an interchange," Mr. Couturiaux said.

"We're striving for communication and cooperation between the three entities involved -- Shoe Shoe Township, Rush Township and the Centre Region," Mr. Shannon said.

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