WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. February 17, 2006: The Westchester County Solid Waste Commission determined Wednesday afternoon, that Amodios, the garden center long a target of neighborhood complaints on Mamaroneck Avenue for alleged soil treatment operations, is not a waste transfer station.

Councilman Glen Hockley, interviewed by WPCNR, reports that the Westchester County Solid Waste Commission ruled in favor of the Mamaroneck Avenue based garden center in White Plains, Amodio's, Wednesday afternoon at a public hearing, finding that Amodio's did not based on the observations of a consultant, in their opinion fit the definition of a waste transfer station. Had they determined it was, Amodio's would have had to ante up $20,000 in licensing fees, Hockley said.

Hockley said the City of White Plains lawsuit against Amodio's seeking a court-ordered "cease and desist" ruling, was on going and now in its "discovery stage."

 A group of White Plains neighborhoods adjacent to the property had presented evidence to the  Solid Waste Commission suggesting that Amodio's be declared a waste transfer station because of alleged and documented (via pictures) on-going soil and debris treatment procedures being conducted there for a number of years.

Consultant Watches for 4 Hours.

Hockley said the Commission employed a consultant he named as Hawthorne to make a report. Councilman Hockley said the commission said that Hawthorne observed Amodio's operations for a total of four hours and reported they saw no rock-crushing equipment.

Hockley reported that the Commission advised the attendees at the hearing that there were sixteen other garden centers around Westchester County that had other operations conducting operations similar to Amodio's. Commissioner Lombardi, Hockley said,  advised the audience at the hearing that Amodio's was a White Plains problem, and not the purview of the Commission.

WPCNR observes that if other garden centers are reclaiming soil from tainted soil, that perhaps the county is missing out on close to half a million dollars in licensing fees for those sixteen properties.

Hockley said he was very upset at this attitude, and told the Commission members that "with all due respect, you have to be blind."

The Councilman advised WPCNR that the Rosedale Neighborhood Association, the Saxon Woods Neighborhood Association and the Hillair Circle neighborhood associations have complained about these ongoing operations which the Councilman alleged to rockcrushing, soil treatment, regular deliveries by large trucks, and a sulphorous stench emanating from the property. 

Had the commission ruled that Amodio's was a waste transfer station, it would have helped White Plains in its parallel suit which Hockley says claims Amodio's is violating the zoning rules for that area.