The long fight that the Killbuck Concerned Citizens Association has waged against the Mallard Lake landfill may be coming to an end. At a meeting Tuesday night, the group’s president, Helen Wean, wants to turn the battle over to others to carry on.

She said she would be resigning the presidency and wants someone new to take over the position. There were no takers, so Wean said she’d remain as president until the next meeting on May 9 at 7 p.m. at Killbuck Elementary School.

“If no one steps up to do that, we’ll disband the corporation and pay our legal bills,” she said. “I want to leave this group with the same reputation as when it began.”

“I’m tired of doing it,” Wean told the KCCA members and others sitting around tables at Killbuck Elementary School. “I’m tired of spinning our wheels and getting the same result. When does it become no longer (KCCA’s) responsibility? Why can’t we get the people of Anderson to care about what happens to them?”

By “the same result,” Wean was referring to the Phoenix-like ability of JM Corp. to win in the courts to keep alive its landfill permit. Recently, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management entered into a settlement negotiation with JM after years of court activity.

Republican state Rep. Jack Lutz remembered the first meeting of the group 27 years ago at the Richland Township Fire Department. He told the crowd he doesn’t want to see KCCA give up.

“Let’s not quit this late in the game,” he said. “Give us questions and we’ll go back to the (Madison County commissioners). I can’t imagine this group saying, ‘we quit.’”

The commissioners, who were not present at the meeting, recently told The Herald Bulletin they couldn’t comment on the landfill matter because it is a matter of the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals and the KCCA has a decade-old lawsuit against the county BZA for approving the landfill permit. Regardless, the commissioners came in for some criticism.

“When the commissioners are elected and we need to talk to them, they won’t,” said Dick Gooding.

State Sen. Tim Lanane asked if the commissioners retain authority to do something in the matter.

“The county commissioners hold the teeth on this,” said Steve Wilkerson, one of the plaintiffs on the lawsuit with KCCA and Anderson Community School Corp. He asked what kind of political pressure could be put on the commissioners.

“The best political pressure is voting,” said Lanane.

In order to get the county to talk, Wean said the KCCA’s part of the lawsuit against the BZA has been withdrawn. Wilkerson has also withdrawn. ACS has not said whether it will withdraw from the suit or continue.

“What do we do?” was a familiar question throughout the meeting.

Sheryl Myers, a science teacher at Highland High School, advocated billboards showing the hidden costs to the community should the landfill become reality. “People listen to anything to do with money,” she said. She also mentioned the cost to the Anderson Municipal Airport.

“I talked to a (Federal Aviation Administration) inspector and he said if this landfill goes in, the airport will lose its federal funding,” said Wilkerson.

Fred Long said the landfill will poison the water supply. “We’ll all be buying bottled water,” he said.

Billboards, newspaper ads and attendance at county commissioners’ meetings were all mentioned.

Don Zalokar, a Republican running for commissioner of the South District, advised people to keep talking about it.

“You’ve got to keep it in their face,” he said. “Be consistent. There’s a radio talk show every morning from 6 to 9 a.m. You need to call in every day.”

Despite the suggestions, there was an air of resignation from Wean and others who realize they are back to square one should the settlement go in JM Corp.’s favor. The people who can stop the landfill, Wean maintains, won’t but need to come forward.

She said a combination city, county, airport and school system should put their collective clout behind stopping the landfill at county roads 300 North and 300 East.

“Our organization is tired,” Wean said. “It’s time for other entities to do it.”

Lutz pointed out the doors of Killbuck School toward the landfill area across the street. “You reflect back on what’s there now — farm ground,” he said. “Without you folks, there’d be an operating landfill there now.”