Changes in trash drop-off site mulled

West Amwell’s insurer wants only one car at a time in the lot, which was the site of a fatal accident in 2001.

By: Linda Seida
   WEST AMWELL — Changes could be coming to the way residents dispose of their trash at the garbage and recycling transfer station on Rocktown-Lambertville Road.
   The township’s insurer, Public Alliance Insurance Coverage Fund, has recommended several modifications for safety reasons. Among them is a reduction in the number of vehicles that can approach the drop-off point at one time.
   The township does not provide trash pickup service. Instead, residents must drop off their refuse at the transfer station at the municipal complex on Rocktown-Lambertville Road.
   Following an accident at the transfer station that killed a 31-year-old woman in 2001, changes were instituted that limited the number of vehicles that could drop off trash at the same time to two. The insurer now says that should be cut to one. A township employee is stationed there to limit the number of vehicles coming in at one time.
   The recommendations also include paving over the stone pad alongside the refuse container and adding directional signs to guide vehicles as they enter and exit the site. Also, a set of portable steps should be added to assist the dumping of recyclables into the large container where they’re collected.
   The insurer made the recommendations via a letter to the township in March and gave the township 60 days to respond, according to Clerk Lora Olsen.
   The recommendations came as "part of a routine look at the operation," Ms. Olsen said.
   The Township Committee has responded by asking for clarification concerning the directional signs. It was unclear what they should say or exactly where they should be placed. The township also will look into the cost of black-topping the stone pad.
   In the fatal accident that occurred in May 2001, Greta Schmidt, 31, was crushed by a truck driven by former mayor Edward Hawley, who was 69 at the time. He backed up his truck to unload trash, and she was pinned between his truck and a garbage truck.
   The six-time mayor was found guilty of careless driving in 2005. A county investigation after the accident concluded there was insufficient evidence to warrant more serious charges, and a grand jury declined to indict him.
   Following the accident, vehicles were no longer permitted to back up.
   In memory of Ms. Schmidt, her husband, John Marshall, is having a tree planted this spring on the grounds of the municipal complex.