Lincroft homeowners trash Marpal proposal

BY DAN NEWMAN
Staff Writer

Twelve years ago, Walter Horan moved to North Point Road in Lincroft looking for a good quality of life, and he thought the area would afford him that opportunity.

“I thought this was a fine area to be, and so it made sense to come to this area and a have a home,” Horan explained.

Eventually, though, he heard the rumblings about the waste disposal company Marpal Inc. expanding operations in his area of Middletown.

“I read about it but I really didn’t know what was happening,” Horan said.

Once it did take place, Horan heard the rumblings, and smelled them as well, and he wasn’t happy about it.

“The area became inundated with truck traffic and it was causing a problem near where I live, and it has turned into a quality-of-life issue,” Horan said. “Our property values are being lowered, and it’s obviously not something that we’re happy about around here.”

Marpal, based in Tinton Falls, has applied to expand its solid waste transfer facility on Wayside Road. Pending county approval, the expansion will nearly double the facility’s capacity from 450 tons to 800 per day.

Some Middletown residents oppose the expansion because there is heavy Marpal truck traffic on Swimming River Road in Lincroft, which runs into Tinton Falls and turns into Tinton Avenue and then Wayside Road.

Local residents had their chance to speak against the proposal last Thursday at a Monmouth County Board of Freeholders meeting.

One of those opposed to the expansion has suggested that his borough should not be the target of a project that will only cause more traffic issues than there currently are.

“The potential expansion of Marpal will definitely have a negative impact on the quality of life,” Tinton Falls Borough Council President Jerome Donlon said. “I have definite concerns about this project and I think maybe Marpal ought to look elsewhere.”

Donlon’s comment was one that Horan echoed.

“They [Marpal] need to look elsewhere,” he said. “Waste from Howell must go to Tinton Falls because that is the only place to put stuff — that seems like a pretty far ride to drop off garbage. They should try and build a site away from Tinton Falls so that there is not so much garbage and truck traffic as well.”

The added traffic is not the only thing that concerns Horan and his neighbors.

“There have been times when I have seen these big 18-wheel trucks in the area going at least 55 miles per hour,” Horan said. “That’s fast enough for a regular car to be going. But for a huge vehicle like that to be going that fast seems a bit dangerous.”

Dean Duane, a police officer in the borough, also has seen his fair share of problems when it comes to the traffic in the area.

“There’s been occasions where I have seen five trucks waiting at a red light,” Duane said. “There should also be a weight limit set on local roads.”

Roger Foss, co-president of the Lincroft Village Green Association, emphasized the impact that the proposal would have.

“This will have a detrimental impact on traffic conditions in the area,” Foss said. “The roads are already overburdened and there are significant problems in the area regarding the volume and speed of traffic through residential neighborhoods. The only real solution to the problem is to open facilities in other areas.”

None of the freeholders responded to the comments of the residents.

Even though Horan feels that the application for expansion will be accepted, he says that it’s the job of local residents to make their voices heard.

“We all need to be involved with this process,” he said. “We need to be heard and let the freeholders know that we don’t want Marpal to expand any further in our area. This is all for the betterment of the community.”