Tenure at authority reviewed
Thomas stepping down
Saturday, December 27, 2008
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STEUBENVILLE - Mark Thomas can remember in detail when he was first appointed to the Jefferson-Belmont Regional Solid Waste Authority Board of Trustees eight years ago.
"There were two new county commissioners elected in Belmont County in 2001, so we sat down and divided up the various boards and commissions we would be appointed to. I sort of volunteered for the solid waste authority because I believed recycling was fast becoming an issue for our area," recalled Thomas.
"Those first couple of years I was on the (solid waste) authority's board we were rotating meetings between the Tiltonsville Municipal Building and the senior citizens center in Yorkville," said Thomas.
"But Ray Amorosa of the Jefferson County Township Trustees Association became chairman of the board, and that's when we started to really get organized with a purpose. When I first joined, I was shocked and surprised to see the solid waste authority was not conforming to what it was supposed to be doing under the Ohio Revised Code. It was really surprising that we had an Authority but it didn't have a management plan that was required by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency," said Thomas.
"And there were too many jurisdictional issues between the two counties. It was almost Belmont County versus Jefferson County. We were literally at the point where the OEPA was coming in and saying they were going to write our operational plan for us if we didn't have our own plan," added Thomas.
"We weren't conforming with the Ohio Revised Code as far as promoting educational material for recycling and limiting solid waste material out of the landfills," said Thomas.
"That's when Ray became chairman, and I started having numerous discussions with him on how to change the solid waste authority. Ray was an excellent leader and a good man to work with on these issues. I sat down with Ray, and we agreed we had to change the attitude at the Authority. Ray truly embraced the idea that we need to work together," related Thomas.
"Ray would sit and listen to my concerns and we would discuss where we needed to go as an authority. Unfortunately just after he became chairman and we started making progress Ray became ill. Even after he was diagnosed, Ray was still involved. I would call him, and we would discuss the issues, and he had great insight into the future of the solid waste authority," said Thomas.
He served as interim chairman of the solid waste authority's board of trustees until he was elected chairman to replace Amorosa.
"He got the Authority started in the right direction, and I just picked up the ball. We had a very good working relationship. I certainly appreciated Ray's wisdom and leadership," noted Thomas.
Under his leadership Thomas said the solid waste authority has had major accomplishments during the past three to four years.
"I believe and know we work as one board these days. We basically have two different county governments working together under one umbrella at the Authority. And we work together for the benefit of all of the residents of both counties," said Thomas.
"We were successful this year in having our own operational plan written, approved by our local government representatives and then approved by the OEPA. We have brought the former recycling agencies in both counties under the auspices of the solid waste authority, and we continue to set new records in our recycling efforts," observed Thomas.
"Education is where the solid waste authority has been most successful. Getting the schools involved in recycling, educating the students who in turn educate their parents and families, and working with private businesses to develop recycling plans. And the recycling efforts will continue to expand going forward," said Thomas.
"And I believe we will see at least one village or city in our counties embrace curbside recycling. And that should lead to additional recycling efforts in the future," he noted.
Thomas said he will remain active with the Ohio Solid Waste Authority but will miss the local involvement.
"I will miss working with the local solid waste authority. At this point Ginny Favede, who will take office in January as a Belmont County commissioner, will replace me on the board of trustees as the commissioners' representative. There is a vacancy for a public representative, and I would be honored to be asked to fill that position. I feel I have learned a lot and can continue to assist the board of trustees in some way, but I also know the solid waste authority is in a strong position for the future," stated Thomas.
"I see the Authority taking on an even larger role in the community. Certain trustees are ready and willing to step up as it evolves with new members from both counties," said Thomas.
"I also leave the chairman's job at the solid waste authority knowing we successfully negotiated a tipping fee contract with the Apex Landfill that provides the funding for our recycling efforts," noted Thomas.
"A number of years ago I was a student at Kent State University, and I never really thought a lot about the environmental movement. I never pictured myself as an environmentalist. But during the past 15 years I and many others have learned more and more about the Earth's natural resources and the need to protect those resources. We have been quite successful in reducing the amount of solid waste going into the landfills and those programs will continue to grow," predicted Thomas.
He also noted that as he leaves office at the end of the month, he is saddened that 2009 will be the first year in 19 years that he will not in some way be involved with government.
"I will be ever proud of the work I accomplished as chair of the Jefferson-Belmont Solid Waste Authority," concluded Thomas.
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