By PATRICK WILSON
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Senators on Thursday rejected legislation that would have stopped a mega-landfill from opening in poor and rural Cumberland County.
The issue illustrated the divide between protecting the environment and historic communities while allowing economic growth in Cumberland, which has about 10,000 people, little business and barely enough revenue for the county government to operate efficiently.
Green Ridge Recycling and Disposal Facility wants to build the landfill near the western border of Powhatan County, and many opponents live there. Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, sponsored three bills this year that would set a moratorium on any new mega-landfill.
The old schoolhouse doesnât look like much now â weather-beaten and worn, it stood neglected for decades before an effort to save it kicked into gear two years ago, and now there also is the worrying possibility of having a landfill nearby â but it holds fond memories for Alfred L. Austin, who grew up on a Cumberland County farm 3 miles away.
âI used to get up in the morning, milk six cows, walk to school, spend the day at school, then walk home and milk six cows again,â he said. âAmong other things.â
In the era of segregation in the 1950s, school was a prized opportunity for Austin and other Black children in this section of Cumberland. The county provided a school for Black students, but it was 10 miles from Austinâs home and, without transportation, he simply couldnât attend.
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