“I don’t even know where to start in describing this project.” So spoke Jason Yorks, director for the Lycoming County Resource Management Services (LCRMS), more commonly known as the County Landfill. Jason made this comment while standing at the podium at the Lycoming County Commissioners Meeting on Thursday, February 16th. He was advocating for the approval of Resolution 2023-03 to accept an offer from the US Government Services Agency (GSA) for the purchase of 1,067 acres of property from the Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex.

Director York’s inability to articulate the backstory to this request is understandable because entire books could be written about it. For the past four decades, the LCRMS has been operating on 400 acres to environmentally friendly dispose of the waste from Lycoming County and several counties in Pennsylvania and other surrounding states. In fact, just 30 percent of the waste that is taken in every day is from Lycoming County.

Now, before the reader leaps out of their seat and questions this practice, stop and realize that over the past five years, $12.5 million have gone into the general fund from the revenue generated by the landfill. Stop and reflect on that number for just a moment. Think of all the county services that would have been cut back and possibly even eliminated without those millions. Or (God forbid), these services were essential and thus would have had to come out of taxes (your money).

The problem, however, was that the landfill was getting filled. LCRMS follows every requirement of the Department of Environmental Protection. The projection was that by 2060, at the latest, the landfill would have to be closed and carefully maintained afterward.

The answer to the problem was to obtain more land for the landfill, as it was surrounded by hundreds of acres that the federal government was not using, specifically the US Bureau of Prisons. It seemed like this would be a win/win for the federal government as well as the local government.

Unfortunately, this is the federal government we are talking about, and there are times when they move with the speed of a wounded turtle — going uphill — in a blizzard.

The county first inquired about possibly buying land to expand the landfill over twenty years ago. Progress would be made, and then a new administration would come in, new people would take over the federal positions, and they would have to look at the perspectives with ‘fresh eyes’ (translation: we don’t trust those who came before us). And the ball kept rolling back again and again and again.

To the credit of Jason Yorks and his staff, they knew that this was literally a matter of life or death for the future of the Lycoming County Resource Management Services. If the land could be acquired, it would ensure that the county could not only meet its federally required waste disposal needs but also continue to be a major revenue source for the county. Despite decades of delays and setbacks, the contract finally came through.

It is for the purchase of 1,067 acres of land that is already on the use permit, for a total amount of $6.5 million. A 10% down payment is required, and once paid, the closing is scheduled to occur within 60 days. Actually, the LCRMS has squirreled away the funds for this purchase already over the years, so this purchase will not impact the county’s budget at all. The best news is that if the original 400 acres has lasted some 40 years, adding two-and-a-half times more acreage will take the lifespan of the landfill into the next century and possibly even the century after that!

So, Director Yorks, we understand now why you began your presentation by saying, “I don’t even know where to start in describing this project.” To tell the full story would go back to his predecessor, Director Steven Tucker, and dozens of others who have worked so hard and so diligently to finally reach this agreement. There is an old Japanese proverb, “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” Lycoming County Resource Management Services is standing strong today because of the determination and tenacity of its leaders for the past twenty years.