By JOHN GOODALL
Tribune Chronicle
HUBBARD TOWNSHIP - A deep chill settled in at the Chestnut Ridge Campground late Sunday afternoon, but opponents of a proposed landfill in the township said they were just warming up.
Despite the temperature, people steadily filtered in and out of the grounds for a fund-raiser that the landfill opponents dubbed "For the Health of It.'' The attendance numbers left organizers pleased.
"We're satisfied,'' said Rick Hernandez, one of the organizers of the fund raiser and Hubbard Environmental & Land Preservation. "We've had to deal with inclement weather just about every time we've done something.''
HELP also has staged auctions and door-to-door canvassing, he said. It's planning another fund-raiser for the holiday season.
Five hundred tickets were sold in advance for the event, Hernandez said.
He said he was hopeful that ticket sales at the gate would be solid as well.
The event featured bands from noon to 7 p.m. Included were musical groups: The Hern Brothers Band, The Brothers Hern, Sugarfuzz Orchestra, Uglystik, Hellenback, Carolyn Keaggy Longo and Christylee Roose, Ernie Valley's Elvis Lives On Show, and Time Warp.
Concession stands provided food and refreshments.
Speaking to those attending the outing were state Sen. Marc Dann, D-Liberty and state Rep. Sandra Stabile Harwood, D-Niles.
"We're securing dollars for legal fees,'' Hernandez said. HELP organizers said their attorneys would seek to block permits from being issued for a demolition debris landfill that has been proposed off Drummond Road in the township.
HELP has had some success in the initial round of permits, Hernandez said.
"Landfills aren't the answer,'' Hernandez said.
That kind of a facility would decrease the property values of homes in the vicinity and would dampen future growth of the community, he said.
"This (opposition to the landfill) is our chance to make our voice heard in the neighborhood, in the county and even in the state,'' Hernandez said.
The possibility of a landfill has been a concern of township residents since July when Trans Rail America purchased three acres of land on Mount Everett Road from Midwest Steel. Plans were revealed at that time for a demolition debris landfill.