Orange Beach joins Repton in fight against landfill

Town finds ally in battle against landfill proposal

Saturday, February 23, 2008

By RYAN DEZEMBER

Staff Reporter

ORANGE BEACH -- Forgive one for thinking that this resort's sister city might be neighboring Gulf Shores. Though there's a bit of sibling rivalry between Baldwin County's two surfside cities, Orange Beach's official sister city, since Tuesday, is Repton.

A square-mile speck of a town along U.S. 84 in Conecuh County, Repton has little in common with Orange Beach. The former, a rail town, was nearly wiped off the map by advances in transit. The latter, fueled by post-baby boom prosperity, boasts some of the most posh addresses in Alabama.

Repton's leaders are fighting developers who propose a 1,500-acre landfill on some 5,100 acres just south of the town's jurisdiction. Mayor Terri Carter said they've mounted a campaign to oppose the Conecuh Woods Municipal Solid Waste Facility, enlisting nearby cities, neighboring counties and now the political heft and expertise of Orange Beach.

Orange Beach, forecasting a lean year, approved a $42 million budget for 2008. Though it delayed some multimillion-dollar capital projects with the real estate market at a standstill, Orange Beach will pay its lobbyists in Washington and Montgomery $118,000 this year without a second thought.

Click here to read the full article from the Mobile Press-Register.

Click here to view a map showing Repton, AL.

Click here to view a Google Search for Conecuh Woods Landfill.