Marpal expansion plans dumped on by neighbors

BY ELAINE VAN DEVELDE
Staff Writer

To about 500 people, the idea of a solid waste company expanding its operations is pure rubbish.

Those people, from both Middletown and Tinton Falls, have signed a petition to try to stop Marpal Inc. — a Tinton Road reclamation center operating in Tinton Falls under the umbrella of Republic Service — from nearly doubling its capacity for refuse and hours of operation.

Daily, the company takes in roughly 450 tons of bulk trash, including construction debris, appliances and brush. It wants to increase that to about 800. It is open from early morning until 9 p.m. and wants to now expand hours of operation until midnight, according to the proposal.

Richard Maio, the company’s general manager, was not available for comment as of press time.

The problem, the complaining neighbors said, is that solid waste and recycling matters are governed by the county.

Any proposed changes in operation are mulled over by a county board called the county Solid Waste Advisory Council. The council is an 11-member group, appointed by the Monmouth County Freeholders.

Middletown or Tinton Falls officials "have no say in the matter," said Tinton Falls Borough Council President Jerome Donlon, who is also on the county advisory council. "Anything a recycling or solid waste company wants to do, they have to request that the solid waste plan be amended. That’s what is happening. In the end, we have to live with their decisions. Realizing that, I recused myself from this matter in Tinton Falls and started passing around a petition as a very concerned resident."

Donlon no sooner got his petition circulating than neighboring Middletown resident Barbara Thorpe rallied her troops in the Lincroft section to ban the solid waste operation expansion.

Thorpe lives on Swimming River Road, which, when it hits Tinton Falls, turns into Tinton Avenue, the road on which Marpal is located.

The road runs straight through both towns and has become known for its heavy traffic, speeding drivers and fatal accidents.

In fact, Thorpe was part of a contingent several months ago, which led a successful fight to get the limit reduced.

"We can’t do anything but fight this," said Thorpe.

"I have lived here all of my life. The roaring trucks which have sailed past my house over the years have gotten so bad they will knock you right off your chair. The thought of increased traffic, let alone truck traffic, is a scary one that threatens the quality of life here even more. All we’re asking for is the ability to maintain a little quality of life."

Thorpe said she will pound the pavement all over Middletown to try and change Marpal’s plans. She also said she will continue to storm the county as well as local officials for help.

In fact, she brought the matter to Middletown Mayor Joan Smith, who immediately penned a letter to Tinton Falls Mayor Ann McNamara in support of Thorpe’s initiative.

"Yes, I sent a letter to Mayor McNamara asking her to keep me informed," Smith said. "We have to stand together as officials to protect the quality of life of residents who live along these roads that are affected by such a proposal. If it means more traffic, not to mention the prospect of additional debris perhaps landing in roadways accidentally, then it has to be dealt with somehow."

Smith went on to say that though she understands the need to "somehow get rid of the garbage we generate, we also need to protect the quality of the suburbs. Ann [McNamara] is a no-nonsense mayor. If she and her residents need my support as the mayor of a neighbor­ing town, then I will be there. I don’t think anyone wants to see the area turned into an urban one with no peace and quiet left, and safety threatened."

McNamara said that while she understood the ramifications that may come with the proposal, both the borough and neighboring Middletown just may not have any choice.

"The problem is that time and events [like added development] have just caught up with facilities like that," McNamara said.

"They [Marpal] have been in town forever and been good business neighbors. There are just more people and with people come all of the things that we cannot escape, like added traffic and assorted bulk items and materi­als used to build with that must be disposed of somehow. It’s a shame that progress has to catch up with us like this. It just does. Hopefully, there will be a logical solution to satisfy everyone’s needs."

Thorpe cautioned that Swimming River Road, when originally con­structed, was a serpentine American Indian trail that "was never in­tended to handle this sort of traffic or infrastructure."

Getting the word out to the public is key, she said. The next public hearing on the matter is scheduled before the Solid Waste Advisory Council at the county offices on Main Street, Freehold, Sept. 16.