Several dozen Powhatan and Cumberland County residents gathered at the Deer Creek Volunteer Fire Department Tuesday, despite an approaching storm, to unite and take action against the proposed Green Ridge Recycling and Disposal facility at the Cumberland/Powhatan county line.

Leading and closing the town hall meeting, Powhatan County Board of Supervisors Chairman Carson Tucker encouraged participants to think about ways to stop the rezoning and conditional use permit for the proposed landfill.

Tucker, who spoke at a June 14 Cumberland County Planning Commission meeting asking the commission not to recommend approval of the facility, read a resolution from the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors that will be considered during its board meeting Monday, asking the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors not to approve the facility.

“Both respect each other’s sovereignty,” Tucker read, adding that Cumberland has the right to make any decision it wants. “And yet we have always tried to help each other out by being good neighbors … The people and the board of supervisors of Powhatan are deeply concerned by the degradation of traffic safety, especially on Route 60.”

Tom Lacheney, county attorney for Powhatan, encouraged residents to investigate the facility after finding data that could potentially reverse the decision.

He encouraged residents to become “private detectives.”

“They’re not impressed with emotional arguments about how it’s going to destroy my family and ruin my property value,” Lacheney said. “You need to be coming up with all of the problems this landfill is going to create. You need to look very closely at your comprehensive plan. You need to look very closely at your zoning ordinance.”

State representatives, including Del. Lee Ware of the 65th District and Sen. Glen Sturtevant, 10th District, spoke, offering support and encouraging residents to oppose the facility.

“It’s not going to fit in with what we have here,” Ware said.

Sturtevant spoke about two children in Buckingham struck and killed by a tractor-trailer last year and expressed safety concerns about potential traffic accidents from landfill trucks on the route.

Approximately 21 people spoke during a public comment period, with Powhatan and Cumberland residents speaking about the impact the facility could have on their families, homes, traffic on Route 60, the route trucks are expected to enter the proposed facility, and their way of life.

Kim Hymel, Powhatan County School Board District Five representative, offered statistics of the school traffic, saying that approximately 100 bus stops are on Route 60 in Powhatan County, with between 50-100 bus stops on Route 522 in Powhatan. Hymel said the majority of buses travel through Route 60 between 6-9 a.m., and 2-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, from September to June.

Bill Bruce, who had been heading a process to create a referendum to allow residents to vote on the proposed landfill, spoke.

“It hurts my heart that we have to be here,” Bruce said. “Our voices aren’t being heard in Cumberland County.”

He encouraged people both from Powhatan and Cumberland to be involved.

“Make the noise, but let’s do it respectfully, let’s do it honestly, and let’s investigate,” Bruce said.

Bruce and Circuit Court Clerk Deidre Martin confirmed that Bruce filed a statement of petitioner and on June 15 was granted a certificate confirming the court has filed Bruce’s statement and that he can get signatures. When signatures are filed, Martin said he can submit an order asking the judge to allow it to be on the ballot for the upcoming election.

“Everybody here sees the big picture,” Jaqueline James, of Cumberland, said, noting Powhatan’s involvement in the process and affect it would have on Powhatan County. “This is not just about Cumberland County. This is going to affect the entire state of Virginia.”

Tucker, at the end of the meeting, gave participants a sheet of paper with ways they could take action. He recommended creating a cross-county coalition opposing the landfill, and appointing a spokesperson.

In addition to speaking with neighbors and encouraging Goochland County to get involved, Tucker recommended that participants contact the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Department of Transportation, the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors and submit letters to the editor to area newspapers.

Cumberland County District Four Supervisor David Meinhard announced an informational meeting Friday, 7 p.m., at Randolph District Firehouse.

Meinhard said in an email he will be present to meet and answer questions to determine the feelings of the district residents toward the landfill project.

Members of the Cumberland County Planning Commission will take a vote on the proposed facility Monday, 6:30 p.m. at Cumberland County Elementary School.