The little community of Germano has a big project in the works. The township has plans to build a community park and, thanks to a $10,000 donation from Interstate Waste Services’ (IWS) Apex Landfill, is more than halfway to its goal of making it a reality.
Located on the curve of state Route 9 in Germano just before the turnoff of state Route 646 by the old church and schoolhouse, the park will connect the two roads (though the street-front corner is privately owned and not included in the current project).
This piece of property has been held in a Germano Community Park Board for fifty years. Nothing was done with it, and residents began to dump cars and other junk there over the years. After township trustees were approached by community board members Richard Toker and Carol Miller last year, they decided to finally move forward with the park.
“The survey from 1969 was out of date, so we’ve had that done and gathered about half of the funding needed to make the park a reality in addition to excavation commitments and quotes for playground equipment,” said Dawn Edwards, German Twp. Fiscal Officer. “We are still seeking grants and support from the community and are grateful for what we have received so far,”
Apex Landfill was happy to join forces with German Township as community improvement is a common goal of both entities. Since IWS took over the landfill operation in 2020, odor has been a daily topic of conversation among the organization’s leaders.
David Cieply, Executive Vice President of Landfill Operations, hoped to use the check presentation as an opportunity to tell the truth— “that we are doing this the right way—if we say we will do something, we do it. If you are having an odor issue, I want to know about it so we can keep it from your yard.”
Township trustee Frank Keller said Germano has seen many improvements in recent months, from community cleanup initiatives to smell reduction.
“Speaking on behalf of the townships representatives, IWS is working very diligently to overcome the stigma that has followed the landfill for so many years,” he said. “People have to realize it isn’t the same company anymore. It wasn’t handled properly before, but you have worked to overcome that, turn the operation around, and make it a positive instead of a negative. As far as the township goes, it has been nothing but a positive relationship thus far.”
While Apex’s vapor gasification system is considered to be a state-of-the-art method for odor control to date, the operation has a host of other systems in place, not only on-site but around the county. In addition to spraying neutralizer eight times a day, the operation will soon begin to use foam on the working face, which will tamp down the smell and keep the buildup of it to a minimum. Cieply said the operation is constantly trying new things in conjunction with its tried-and-true processes.
“We’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on new systems and trials to control the smell—people sometimes say they ‘demand action’, but they have no idea what we are doing behind the scenes every day to try to make this better,” Cieply said.
Ryan Marker, Chairman of the German Township Trustees, noted the improvements in recent years.
“I live two hills over from the landfill,” he said. “Now, I have chicken barns, so I try not to throw stones about things stinking, but I remember many nights laying in bed, the smell would literally burn your eyes. We haven’t had that since IWS took over. It is 1,000 percent better than it was.”
Frank Keller, German Township trustee, left, stands with Ryan Marker, German Township chairman and Dawn Edwards, fiscal officer, to accept the $10,000 check from David Cieply, executive vice president of Landfill Operations.
Apex employs about 140 people and is currently accepting applications. With a new $15M project on the horizon, their workforce demand will also be increasing in 2024. With the forms already set for a gondola building, Apex will be able to unload 4-5 more tons a day in the enclosed building (which accommodates construction and debris material, not compounding the smell).
“Sometimes I meet people who tell me, ‘The smell has gotten a lot better; however, we still smell it.’ Well, that ‘however’ part is still on the landfill to do everything humanly and technologically possible,” said Cieply. “We aren’t stopping until we know we have every available odor mitigation tool that has proven to be effective on our site.”
In addition to IWS’s Apex Landfill, Jim and Margaret Pickens and Williams Energy have also donated to the park project. Sheckler Excavating Inc., which does most of Apex’s on-site work, has committed to donate the clearing and excavation necessary for the park.
“Any reasonable person who lives close to the landfill, even if they notice the smell, would tell you there has been a significant improvement,” Keller said. “We feel both this and the park project go hand-in-hand with the demolition grants and community clean-ups that the county has been spearheading recently. Our community has seen a lot of benefit from that, and we want to continue the momentum to add value to the area.”
For more information on the park project, call Dawn Edwards at 740-381-0690. To report smells, inquire about general landfill operations, or apply for a job, call Apex Landfill at 740-543-4389.
