June 10, 2015
County names landfill chief
The Cortland County Highway Department revealed Tuesday morning that Gregory A. Ernst, of Moravia, will start Monday as the county’s solid waste supervisor, running the landfill’s daily operations.
Highway Superintendent Phil Krey announced the name at a Highway Committee meeting Tuesday morning.
Ernst will receive a yearly salary of $58,934. The post carries a yearly salary of up to $66,293.
Krey said Tuesday afternoon he is confident in Ernst’s abilities to do a good job, noting Ernst has14 years of experience with landfills and management related to environmental consulting and engineering.
Ernst is employed as a field service specialist with Clean Harbors Environmental Services in Syracuse.
“I’m ... pleased we found somebody qualified like this and look forward to working with him and having him there (full-time),” Krey said.
Some of Ernst’s experience, Krey said, includes creating landfill closure plans in Purchase, and post-closure plans with the New York City Department of Sanitation in Brooklyn.
Krey added Ernst also has experience handling the state Department of Environmental Conservation regulations of the landfill.
Ernst’s previous employers include the consulting firm GRB Environmental Services in New York City and an engineering consultant firm, Gannett Fleming Engineers, in Montoursville, Pennsylvania.
Krey said this morning Ernst does not have to live in the county to work in the position.
The solid waste supervisor position was created last year at the recommendation of the Bonadio Group, an engineering firm that conducted an operational audit of the Highway Department last year at the county’s request. The audit found the department had operational weaknesses that could result in fraud or mishandling of money, although there was no indication that either had occurred.
This is the second of two positions the Legislature had created to better control the financial operations in the county.
Peggy Mousaw, the director of budget and finance, started that new post May 18.
Krey said the hiring of the landfill supervisor needed to be done regardless of the proposed ash for trash deal which awaits a decision from both Onondaga and Cortland county legislatures.
The deal with the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency would involve Cortland County sending up to 35,000 tons of trash to the incinerator in exchange for about 90,000 tons of ash to be dumped in the landfill yearly.
Solid Waste Committee Chair Tom Hartnett said Tuesday afternoon he has not met Ernst yet but thought Krey made the right choice in hiring him as supervisor.
“I trust Phil (Krey)’s judgment and I trust that the job will get done,” Hartnett said. He added that it is very important that the landfill is managed correctly, regardless of whether the ash for trash deal comes to fruition.
Members of the Solid Waste Committee said during the Solid Waste committee meeting Tuesday morning — held after the Highway Committee meeting — that they are waiting for the ash for trash contract to be reviewed.
Gerhardt Associates, the consultant the county hired, and finance director Mousaw will review the numbers in the contract as well as a financial analysis of the deal presented to the Solid Waste Committee last month by Homer businessman Victor Siegle that questioned the deal.
Siegle estimated a loss of $1 million a year for the county if it decides to go with the ash for trash deal while Gerhardt Associates claimed the county would make a profit of about $22,000 each year.
Hartnett added that Mousaw will be going over the numbers given by Gerhardt Associates last month to make sure everything is accurate.
“I want to make sure ... everything is right,” Hartnett said, adding there is no rush to make a decision. “Let’s slow it down, take the right step and then move on.”
The Legislature still has to change the local law banning the importation of material from outside the county, adopt a findings statement, and then approve the agreement with OCRRA to start accepting ash at the landfill.
“Regardless ... of whether ash for trash goes through or not ... we’ll still have a landfill supervisor up there,” Krey said, adding there will always be management and monitoring duties to take care of.
“He’s ready and willing to take on either program,” said Krey, referring to either handling an ash landfill or a municipal solid waste landfill.
Krey said Tuesday afternoon that Ernst declined to comment until he has acclimated to the job.
Krey said his staff in the highway department has been taking turns making sure operations in the landfill are running smoothly. Krey added that having a full-time supervisor available will make everything much more efficient.
Two candidates were interviewed out of the four applications received, Krey saidTuesday.
The job description was changed in April to broaden the search after officials said they were not receiving candidates qualified to handle the operations at the landfill.
To read this article and more, pick up today's Cortland Standard
Click here to subscribe