HAMPDEN – Following court orders, the Town Council has voted unanimously to issue the Sawyer Environmental Recovery Facility a license for its proposed expansion.

As if that weren’t a bitter enough pill for some councilors to swallow, Monday’s action occurred after several residents pointed out an unpleasant odor emanating from the landfill.

The complaints, which heightened officials’ frustration at the court-ordered loss of autonomy, spurred Councilor Rick Briggs to suggest that the town keep a close eye on the landfill.

“This is not a blank check,” he said. “We need to come up with a way that everything in the license conditions is monitored and reported.”

Councilor Mike Hastings was less encouraging. “While we should have someone in town government monitor the landfill, the town doesn’t have much power,” he said.

“We need to face the fact that on most things that matter to the people opposed to the landfill, the burden on the applicant is to attempt to do something, not prove that they succeeded.”

In the first of two court battles that Hampden lost this fall, Penobscot County Superior Court Justice Andrew Mead ruled that the landfill should be granted a license to expand because the town’s licensing ordinance guideline was too vague.

Meanwhile on Monday, resident Norm Thurlow told the council that the “odor [from the landfill] has increased greatly.”

“It comes into the car. It’s extremely strong,” he said.

Although the landfill provides a phone number to report complaints, “it’s a problem for people to stop what they’re doing and call,” Thurlow said.

“Can we come up with a better way to document [the odor] so [the landfill] can admit there’s a problem and take corrective action?” he asked.

Hampden Deputy Chief Mike Andersen, who lives near SERF, said he usually refrains from commenting on the issue because it’s part of the “political realm.” “But, as a private citizen … it’s getting disgusting over there. I can smell it every day. All I have to do is open my front door,” he said.

After Hastings pointed out that it was “a sewer odor, not a landfill odor,” SERF operations manager Marty Drew readily concurred.

The problem should be remedied soon, according to Drew, who said it stems from the recently installed Hermon sewer system.

SERF is helping the town find a solution, he said. New parts have been ordered and “in a few weeks there should be a noticeable difference.”

Later, SERF Licensing and Compliance Manager Don Meagher said the leachate flowing from the landfill actually prevents the odors from becoming worse since it flushes the line regularly.

During the meeting, as she listened to her colleagues discuss the provisions of the license, Councilor Lisa Hatch couldn’t contain herself: “This is a waste of time!” she said, alluding to the court decision that gave the town little choice but to issue the license.

But Councilor Bob Gilberti didn’t see it that way.

“We had a public hearing, we went through a long, long process, we [looked at] the best interests of the community. And whether you as an individual approve or disapprove, it’s a formality we have to continue with,” he said.

“A lot of things need to be addressed, but [SERF] will work with the community,” he said. “I’d like to think that SERF will take the [odor] complaints into consideration.”

Still, when it came time to vote whether to give SERF the license, some councilors obviously were torn.

“With reservations – yes,” said Councilor Dan Stover.

For her part, Hatch waited several moments before uttering a soft “yes.”

Later, noting that the meeting was their last because their terms had expired, Hatch and Hastings referred to the court battles the town lost.

“I want to apologize to citizens,” Hatch said.

“I failed to carry out the wishes of the majority of the citizens. I wish I could have had more of an impact.”

Hastings, too, said he was “disappointed that some things I hoped to do haven’t been accomplished.”

As it turns out, Stover also will leave the council after January. He is starting a new job and will be unable to attend meetings, he said Monday.

Sitting next to Hatch, he suggested that she hadn’t failed.

“Maybe it’s just not the right time,” he said.