Monticello hires engineer to work on landfill

By TOM RUE

MONTICELLO - Trustees upgraded William F. Cosulicich from consultant status to the title of solid waste engineer for the village, raising his salary from $7500 to $12,000, in a March 20 board meeting. His sole responsibility is to work on landfill concerns, according to village manager William Cummings.

Cosulicich's duty was described by Cummings as "to assist in preparing a consent order independent of the county," regarding the process of closing the village's portion of the Sullivan County Landfill in Monticello.

Although there is no guarantee Cosulicich will succeed in gaining state approval, Cummings expressed hope that the village's cost in closing its portion of the landfill may be cut to $500,000 from $3 million.

A case is being made to lawyers from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) that Monticello's portion should be classified as a "rural landfill," which would exempt the municipality from many of the environmental safeguards which the county must perform on its portions.

One difficulty in drafting the consent decree, Cummings said, is that responsibility for closing the landfill must "be separate and joint at the same time." For example, leachate collection will be performed jointly between the county and the village, Cummings said.

Mayor Robert Friedland asked if Cosulicich's raise could be made contingent on successfully working out the consent decree. Cummings questioned the "ethics," asserting that Cosulicich has a right to be paid if he performs work for the village, whether the DEC approves his recommendations or not.

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