Wednesday, 17 February 2021
www.TheObserver.com
Vol. CXXXIII, No. 41
THIS WEEK IN SPORTS Two Lyndhurst HS star-athletes sign college letters, one for wrestling, the other for softball. See page 9
BELLEVILLE • BLOOMFIELD • EAST NEWARK • HARRISON • KEARNY • LYNDHURST • NORTH ARLINGTON • NUTLEY
CAPPING AS PLANNED 14 months after Keegan closure, NJSEA sealing project still on schedule
I
Story by Kevin Canessa & Photo by Deborah Garcia
t’s been 14 months since residents got the “miraculous” news that the Keegan Landfill, after months of fighting and filling the air with the smell of rotten eggs would finally close. And, it appears
the process to fill and cap the landfill is still on track, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials at the NJSEA report that since March 2020, the Keegan Landfill, located off the Bergen Avenue extension in Kearny, has been receiving an average of 20,000 cubic yards per month of soil for grading and contouring the landfill in preparation for final
capping. The soil is currently being placed on the eastern portion of the landfill (furthest away from Schuyler Avenue). It is important to note — the delivery of this soil is the only material permitted to be taken to the landfill. Nothing else may be dumped there as the landfill is permanently closed. The process is being monitored
by consultants for the Town of Kearny who make regular visits to the site. Placement of soil on the eastern portion of the landfill was to commenced in late September. The Town of Kearny is copied on all NJSEA submissions to the NJDEP including, but not limited to, daily hydrogen sulfide monitoring data See KEEGAN, Page 16
Kearny firefighter says he’s being unfairly forced to retire By Kevin Canessa kc@theobserver.com
A
uthorities here wanted a Kearny firefighter, who says he was injured
during on-the-job training in February 2019, to be forced to take a disability retirement, but the firefighter says it is still his hope to return to work, two years after the reported injury.
At a meeting of the Kearny Mayor and Council on Feb. 9, a resolution that would have allowed the town to begin the process of an involuntary disability retirement on behalf of Thomas Grieb was tabled
after several members of the council argued they weren’t properly briefed on the facts surrounding the case. Grieb took the unusual step of speaking publicly at the council meeting. Cases similar
COMING SOON! KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR OUR NEXT PROMOTION!
to his are usually discussed in a closed session, not open to the general public. However, Grieb waived his right to keep the matter private, opting instead for a public discussion See KFD, Page 8