By Don Bradley
The Kansas City Council has approved a one-year moratorium on any landfill plan, but the action falls well short of the knock-out punch Raymore needs to stop a project at its front door.
“It kicks the can down the road,” Raymore Mayor Kris Turnbow said.
The plan now is for officials throughout the Kansas City metro area to use the moratorium year to determine what the region needs in terms of waste management.
Raymore learned last year about a Kansas City waste management company’s plan for a landfill just north of Cass County community. Raymore, Lee’s Summit, Peculiar, Grandview and Belton, along with other jurisdictions and area school districts, rallied in opposition.
But action in the Missouri General Assembly has stalled and while the Kansas City moratorium passed last week with only one “no” vote, the company’s plan is still in play.
“It’s going to take a lot more effort to kill this thing,” Turnbow said.
Frustrating to opponents is that the proposed developer, Jennifer Monheiser, who operates a waste transfer station in Kansas City, still has refused invitations to discuss the issue.
“That’s been disappointing to us,” Turnbow said last week.
Monheiser, who owns KC Recycling and Waste Solutions, has not responded to requests for comment. In February, she told a Missouri House committee that she has acquired 500 acres and plans to use 270 of those for the landfill.
The site is between Missouri 150 Highway and 155th Street, between Horridge Road and Peterson Road, north of Raymore’s Creekmore subdivision, golf course and lake. An elementary school is within two miles.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has said the site near Raymore is better suited for residential development.
In May, the Jackson County Health Department said its analysis of the proposal concluded that the biggest risks to nearby residents from chemical gases that may escape the ground are short term respiratory distress and the potential exacerbation of existing respiratory issues, such as asthma.
“Frequently, the primary concerns around a new project are often economic,” said Meghan Senne, the department’s health policy coordinator. “However, it’s important to acknowledge health impacts as well and we aim to contribute to this dialogue.”