Venice Park, Atlantic City, NJ Residents Defeat Trash-To-Steam Plant

They say that you can’t fight City Hall. Whoever “they” are didn’t know the residents from Atlantic City, New Jersey’s Venice Park.

In the end, Atlantic City Council voted 9-0 to reject the measure.

Even the two legislative sponsors, Kaleem Shabazz and Stephanie Marshall voted against it.

The residents are adamantly opposed to a proposed trash-to-steam plant that Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and certain Atlantic City council members are promoting … despite unanimous resident opposition.

About 120 residents showed up at tonight’s Atlantic City Councilman meeting and they were not happy with a proposal that they had already rejected two years ago.

Members of the Venice Park Civic Association attended the regular meeting of the Atlantic City Council to oppose a proposed resolution to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that would approve a feasibility study to be conducted by Waste to Green Energy Solution, LLC.

The scheme is all about constructing a waste management facility that the residents don’t want.

Every resident who spoke in the open public portion of the City Council meeting spoke in opposition to the trash-to-steam scheme.

Atlantic City Councilman at large George Tibbitt is opposed to to what he describes as many as 300 trash trucks per day barreling through this stable, quiet neighborhood in Atlantic City.

Tibbitt said that “trash truck juice will spill daily, along with the bad small and it will attract rats to the neighborhood,” said Tibbitt during our on-air interview this morning.

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The residents of Venice Park were in unanimous opposition to the trash-to-steam plant boondoggle two years ago when the Reverend Colin Days approached them at that time.

They are in disbelief, that the Mayor and certain members of City Council are trying to do this, yet again.

Augusta Garret, who is the president of the Venice Park civic association said in advance of tonight’s City Council meeting , "If approved, this ultimately could result in a waste management facility and other facilities on the service road that parallels Route 30 and is a main entrance into Venice Park. This is the project presented to the VPCA two years ago and was overwhelmingly rejected by VPCA," said Garret.

"If approved and ultimately constructed, it could result in hundreds of trucks per-day bringing waste from Atlantic City and nearby communities on this single lane access road into Venice Park," said Garret.

"This access road cannot accommodate hundreds of trucks per day. Also, the trucks and facility might result in odors and other unforseen problems. Venice Park cannot handle 150 trucks a day. If approved, this facility will not only impact our quality of life in Venice Park, but might also impact our property values," said Garret.

An hour before the vote, it became apparent that the measure would not receive the required five votes for passage.

It was only a matter of how many council members would vote no in the end.