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Trucking Company Eyes West Bellaire Location

BELLAIRE — West Bellaire neighborhood residents may soon get the chance to learn more about a trucking company that wants to open a depot in their neighborhood.

During a regular Village Council meeting Thursday, David Ray and Troy Boster, representatives of environmental trucking company BBU of Kenna, West Virginia, said they were considering purchasing a former community center building located atop Wagner Avenue.

Ray, vice president of BBU, said because the building and parking area are located in a residential neighborhood, BBU wanted to approach council to receive its blessing first.

Ray talked in detail about the company, noting it has a good safety record and that it tries to be a good neighbor wherever it operates.

“We didn’t want to come in and surprise people,” he said.

Ray said the vehicles would not be hauling any materials in or out of the site. Instead, the company would be using it as a base for parking. He said the building may be used to house a few workers, as he is having a difficult time finding qualified CDL drivers to hire locally.

“I had 12 interviews scheduled and not one showed up,” Ray said.

After some discussion, Councilman Mike Doyle suggested BBU hold a public meeting with residents of West Bellaire to allow them to ask questions. A meeting is tentatively set for the week of Nov. 26. However, an exact time, date and location still must be determined.

Ray said his company already has been working in the area. He said BBU is renting another location in Belmont County they are not happy with.

Some of the company’s services include: vacuum truck services, pollution control and containment, underground storage tank removal/closure assessment, hazardous and non-hazardous waste transportation, industrial and hazardous waste disposal, water blasting/drain cleaning and health and safety training.

Three West Bellaire residents happened to be at the meeting. One man said he was in favor of having the company move in, while the two women said they were against it. They said they were concerned about children’s safety playing in neighborhood and how narrow Wagner Avenue is.

Ray said he only hires drivers who are experienced, adding most have families of their own and watch out for children while driving.

Councilwoman Nikki Liberatore asked Ray whether BBU would be interested in using a separate piece of land for parking the trucks in the village, and using the community center for office/bunk space only. Ray said that would be something his company would consider, although it may not be as convenient for them. Before Ray made his pitch of sorts, council had a discussed a piece of village-owned land where a company has been unlawfully parking their work vehicles without village permission. Council discussed whether it should start renting out the land because people already were trying to use it for free.

Ray said BBU’s vehicles would include two tractor-trailers, two rolloff trucks, two water trucks and four pickups. While Ray said typically the workers would leave by 7:30 a.m. and be back by 4:30 p.m. each day, their business card also notes BBU provides emergency responses 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In other matters, Liberatore said Cast & Baker of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, has been hired for the Second Avenue repaving project in West Bellaire.

Meanwhile, Doyle expressed concern about additional fees being put on people’s water bills by the East Ohio Regional Water Authority, which treats sewage for Bellaire and some other local municipalities. Doyle believes a new fee is uncalled for and that council needs to look out for residents’ interests, especially those who are on fixed incomes.

Doyle said in his own dealings with EORWA about the fee, the answers he received did not make sense.

This same topic was raised during a previous Martins Ferry City Council meeting. At that time, Martins Ferry Mayor Robert Krajnyak explained EORWA now is basing its sewer rates on the consumption of water, which was mandated by the EPA.

In Martins Ferry, the city was in the process of changing out faulty water meters. And EORWA was charging a $5 estimate because so many meters were not working at people’s homes. EORWA then added another $4.80 for 1,000 gallons over EORWA’s 3,000 gallon minimum. That made the total charge $9.80.

“We need to be aggressive on this,” Doyle said, adding a committee needed to be formed. “It’s a racket. … We gotta stand up for the citizens here.”

Councilman Dan Brown and Mayor Vince DiFabrizio were absent from the meeting.

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