Minutes - Council - 07/14/1988 - Public Hearing

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Marylou Terwey - 6055 158th Lane - We have been gathering signatures on petitions to oppose the Atlas project; the petitions will be presented to Council as soon as we have them duly notarized. Robert Kyker - 14157 Cobalt Street - I don't argue that Atlas may intend to build good incinerators. However, Mr. Labat stated that they dispose of 60,000 pounds per day, which must be tested here. The 7% of the faciity that will be handling 30 tons a day of hazardous, industrial, infectious~ nuclear and pathological waste concerns me. We don't want this facility located near where our children breathe. What the experts say are acceptable levels of health risk does not reflect what the public feels are acceptable levels to be safe. It is also common knowledge that the EPA does not have the means or the manpower to monitor the standards they set. We are all aware of the dangerous water we are drinking. We wanted clean and safe water and air; we don't want to give up our air; we are being poisoned by water because of the landfill. If it comes to a choice of a clean environment or families with lower property taxes, most of us agree that the family well-being will come before low taxes. The majority of Ramsey residents are strongly opposed to the Atlas project. Todd Hunt - 6337 143rd Avenue - I moved back here from Colorado because of the brown clouds there. I moved north of the Twin Cities because I felt it would be safe here. In addition, I don't like unknowns. My children are ages 2 and 6 years; I would like to know who will insure that nothing will happen to them and my property value will not go down. I will sell my home if Atlas is approved. I don't like it and I don't think it is right. Vicki Westby - 7059 166th Avenue - In the Elk River hearings, Atlas made a statement that they would not go into any community that they are not wanted in. Ramsey doesn't want Atlas. The bottom line in wanting to bring Atlas into Ramsey is the pretty building and to generate income for Ramsey. That can be accomplished in another way; build a Pamida and we can all go shopping. Tom Springer - 157th Lane - A~las' offices are currently located in Coon Rapids and their manufacturing facility is in Blaine; if they are such good citizens, why doesn't Blaine want to keep them. They talk about state-of- the-art scrubbers. Scrubbers are 30 years old; they will take sulphurs out of the air but not too much of the dioxins. Atlas does not use state-of- the-art technology; catalytic conversion is state-of-the-art but they don't use it because it is too expensive. Atlas burns at low and varying temperatures; this is unstable. They don't know what is coming out of their stacks; they assume they can tell what is in the waste stream by the ash; they don't use expensive measuring devices. Their smoke stacks are 30- 40 feet high; how far will such low smoke stacks disperse pollutants in the air; stacks 100 feet high are needed for better dispersal. We do socio- economic studies but we don't listen to them. There is more property value represented by the residents at this hearing than by Atlas and the residents were here first. It is time for Council to consider who elected them and what the people want. If Council votes for Atlas, it will be a grievous decision given the mood of the people. Put the Atlas project to a vote of the people and let them make the decision of whether or not Atlas City Council Public Hearing/July 14, 1988 Page 14 of 15