Recycling Center Conditions Draw Complaint To Smithfield Mayor, Council
SMITHFIELD – A Smithfield attorney and his wife are asking town leaders to clean up the town-operated Recycling Center on Hospital Road, calling the property an “eyesore and potential health hazard” and questioning why the town can consider spending millions on a baseball stadium while the recycling site remains in poor condition.
Jack O’Hale and Claudia O’Hale hand-delivered a letter Wednesday, Oct. 28, to Mayor Andy Moore and members of the Smithfield Town Council concerning the Recycling Center at 231 Hospital Road.
“My wife and I have lived in Smithfield since 1976,” the O’Hales wrote. “We are writing this letter because of our joint concern for the Recycling Center which is both an eyesore and potential health hazard.”
The couple included several photographs of the property showing recycling containers, standing and discolored water, worn pavement and other areas of the site they believe need attention.
The O’Hales then pointed to Smithfield’s proposed baseball stadium project.
“Notably, according to published reports, the Lampe family donated 58 acres of land to build a baseball venue in Smithfield at a cost of $16.3 million dollars,” they wrote.
The couple challenged the town’s spending priorities.
“Since the Town of Smithfield is flush with money, we urge the Mayor and Town Council to invest in our environment and clean up the Recycling Center/Dump,” the letter states.
“If the Town Council is willing to spend millions of dollars on a baseball stadium that will be rarely used, except during the summer months, then the Town Council should also spend money on a property clean-up at the Recycling Center, a place that is utilized by many town citizens.”
The O’Hales said they are regular users of the town’s recycling program and support recycling.
They referenced an Oct. 16 letter to the editor published in The Wall Street Journal that said recycling strengthens the American economy and benefits the environment.
“We regularly recycle glass, aluminum cans, cardboard, plastic, newspapers and other recyclables,” the couple wrote.
Their concerns also extend to town employees who work next to the recycling operation.
“Moreover, Town employees utilize an office building adjacent to the Recycling Center and park their motor vehicles in a lot likewise adjacent to the center,” the O’Hales wrote.
They ended the letter by calling on town officials to improve the property.
“A clean-up would eradicate an eyesore and potential health hazard and improve the scenery for Town employees and visitors,” they wrote.
The photographs submitted with the letter show several areas of standing or discolored water, recycling containers, worn areas of pavement and other conditions around the site.
The Hospital Road property is also home to Smithfield’s Public Works Department.
Johnston County Report reached out to the Town of Smithfield for comment on the concerns raised by the O’Hales. Interim Town Manager Kimberly Pickett said she needed additional time to review the matter before responding. This story will be updated when the Town provides a response.
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Amen Mr Jack! Thank you for saying what we’ve all been saying for months. Smithfield has MUCH bigger concerns than that money-pit of a stadium nonsense. Hopefully the opinion of such a distinguished citizen such as yourself will finally give the town the kick in the pants they need to abandon the stadium debacle, once and for all.
It’s sexier and more exciting to knock down all the trees and squander taxpayer money on a ball park that will continue to be a revenue drain, than it is to improve a recycling center. The fact is that nobody wanted this white elephant but the town leaders pushed it through , come h*ll or high water.
I’ll leave it to speculation why town leaders would overrule the complaints of the citizens. There’s usually one main reason
The recycling center is an embarrassment. If private industry was in charge of such a hot mess, it would have been shut down.
Why does the town want a ball field so bad ? Money needs to spent on helping people in these hard times, clean up the town!’
That place looks terrible and unhealthy. Jack and his wife have paid a lot of taxes over the years.
There is a saying… If you want something done, do it yourself..
Too much time on their hands.