In June, the Intelligencer Journal New Era ran an article “Lancaster County waste authority in talks to buy Harrisburg incinerator”.
It reported: “The existing Lancaster County incinerator in Conoy Township is at capacity and the authority planned a $175 million expansion — until the opportunity to buy the Harrisburg incinerator came along.
“Last year, the authority aggressively sought to buy the incinerator, which is a key factor in Harrisburg teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
“In an unsolicited proposal, the authority initially offered cash-strapped Harrisburg $45 million, along with promises to make needed upgrades to the incinerator. The offer was upped to $124 million if Harrisburg and Dauphin County would provide a guaranteed trash stream.”
A recent Lancaster Sunday News article “Talking more than trash: Authority gives thousands to its neighbors” mentions: “If the authority were a marginal operation, these community projects would not be happening, he acknowledges. But the authority, with a $54 million annual budget, $139 million in net assets, $43 million in reserve and $3.9 million in profits last year, is doing well.”
Here at NewsLanc, Bill Keislings series “Harrisburg Watershed Series” describes the tangled history of the Harrisburg incinerator, both a ‘tar baby’ and a time bomb.
We recognize that the Lancaster County Municipal Waste Management is an authority and as such answerable to no one. But why hasn’t the public and especially the Lancaster Newspapers delved into the feasibility of the acquisition? An annual profit of $3.9 million is very nice but can go down the drain in a hurry if a $124 million, highly financed, acquisition of this troubled asset does not prove viable.
If the venture is ill advised, the public will end up paying for the folly through much higher trash disposal rates. This transaction conceivably could be many time more costly to the local economy that the Convention Center white elephant.
Perhaps the County Muncipal Solid Waste Management Authority has secured an independent feasibility study. If they have, it should be shared with the public and critically reviewed by the Lancaster Newspapers immediately. This is their job, not ours.
And if the LCSWMA has not obtained a feasibility study from a highly reputable source, then breaks should be put on the deal and heads should roll!
It is one thing to give away money to good local causes. But it another to bet the ranch on a failed Harrisburg project without making a thorough and rational investigation. There must be a reason that no one else wants the deal!
POST SCRIP: Bill Keisling adds:
