More than 115 homeowners in a neighborhood called Steel City turned up at a meeting Thursday night seeking to find out if a landfill company's offer to guarantee the appraised value of their homes passed the smell test.
Whether it did or not will remain largely between the residents in that section of Lower Saucon Township, officials from IESI Bethlehem Landfill and the four walls of the conference room at the Best Western in Hanover Township, Northampton County, as the press were barred from bearing witness to the proceedings.
"It was a good meeting, we had a lot of good feedback," was the way John Lamanna, regional vice president of IESI/Progressive Waste Solutions characterized the evening in an interview after the meeting.
Good feedback doesn't mean some residents didn't try to trash the proceedings, he said.
"Some property owners came in with an agenda," Lamanna said.
The main topic of the evening was dissecting a property guaranty agreement the company put forth as a way to mollify neighbors' concerns about what they estimate are their declining property values due to the landfill.
Homeowners received an overview of the agreement and were allowed to ask IESI officials questions about the specifics of the deal that would guarantee that property values would not decrease while Bethlehem Landfill continues to accept waste for disposal.
If a Steel City homeowner would sign the agreement and the sales price of their home is less than the appraised value of the home, the agreement would trigger IESI Bethlehem Landfill to either make up the difference or buy the home.
"I thought they were fair and answered the questions," said Steel City resident Frank Hardy in an interview after the meeting of IESI officials.
The offer extends to all homeowners in the "footprint" of the landfill, according to Matthew Brannon, media spokesperson for IESI.
The company sent about 200 letters to those residents inviting them to Thursday night's secret meeting.
There was no deadline given Thursday night for residents to sign the deal, with officials saying it would be extending until sometime in 2015 and likely amended by attorneys.
Landfill officials also provided meeting attendees with updates on operational improvements taking place at the landfill which include "odor control," according to Lamanna.
In addition the company presented their efforts at improving "communication with the Lower Saucon community," according to a company news release.
Lamanna said there would be another meeting between company officials and residents in January.
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