AUGUSTA – Residents who said they feel like they are in the dark regarding the proposed West Old Town Landfill took their concerns to the State House on Wednesday morning.

The state is in the process of purchasing the West Old Town Landfill for $25 million from Georgia-Pacific Corp. as a financial incentive to help maintain jobs at the company by lowering its operating costs. No taxpayer money will be involved in the deal, since the operating company will be providing financing.

The purchase and sale agreement for the proposed landfill between Georgia-Pacific and the state was signed Nov. 20, 2003, but the Department of Environmental Protection must now approve the amendment application before the sale can be completed. That decision is expected to come in mid-February.

In the last two weeks, residents opposed to the landfill and who are seeking more information on the topic formed a group called We The People. About 20 members of the group traveled to the State House in Augusta on Wednesday morning to express their concerns at a news conference, followed by a meeting with state legislators.

“I don’t think they’ve been dealing fair,” said Dana Snowman of Alton on Wednesday. “It’s a secret, back-room dump deal.”

Residents voiced concern that they have not been granted a formal public hearing on the proposed landfill. Despite the fact that four applications requesting hearings were in before the Dec. 11, 2003, deadline, residents are still uninformed on the topic, said Debbie Gibbs of Alton. The DEP has discretion in granting hearings.

The State Planning Office sponsored a public information meeting at the Old Town Elks Club on Wednesday night, but prior to the meeting, We The People members said it didn’t satisfy their request.

“We The People demand that a public hearing be granted,” Gibbs said. “We will not be appeased by [Wednesday night’s] meeting. We The People demand that DEP do its job and do it diligently.”

Residents’ concerns include water contamination, personal health and safety and property value – to list a few.

“Fifty years from now, someone will be standing here and saying, ‘What were those people thinking, allowing this carnage to happen?'” said Laura Sanborn of Alton.

Casella Waste Systems Inc., which has been hired as the operator of the Old Town facility, and the state are currently working on an operating services agreement.

Georgia Pacific is getting “one sweet deal,” according to Gibbs, because they’re going to be absolved of all responsibility of any contamination they have caused. That responsibility will be turned over to Casella, who has a track record of ignoring regulations, according to Gibbs, who cited a host of legal cases against the company.

“I was stunned when I heard that the state of Maine was going to do business with a company like this,” Stanley Levitsky of Old Town said. He is concerned about the health and safety of his two young children with the possibility of toxic waste being transported on roads through residential areas.

“It’s unacceptable to trade jobs for our health,” he said.

Residents said that even if it stalls the deal, the overall impact of what is being proposed needs further consideration and residents need to be better informed.

“The time that we spend now making a wise decision could prevent decades of regret later on,” Gibbs said. One reason residents believe the landfill deal has been whisked through legislation is because the sale is allegedly necessary to help keep Georgia Pacific open by lowering the company’s operating costs.

“When you say ‘jobs’ in a mill town, people panic,” said Pam Bell of Milford. Residents are being told this is a “job issue,” she explained, which leads them to believe that this is a done deal and that without it, the mill will close.

Yet there has been no promise that the deal will retain jobs and residents have too many unanswered questions for the deal to go forward responsibly, Schneider said.