Strong Response Suggested at Eumbong-myeon Residents' Meeting
"At Least 40% Representation in Council and 40% Fund Distribution Are Minimum Demands"
Mayor Park maintained the existing position of having 40% of the committee members and 40% of the fund allocation at the "2024 Second Half Open Meeting" with residents of Eumbong-myeon on the 2nd.
Park Kyunggui, Mayor of Asan, once again maintained his previous stance regarding the establishment of a new household waste incineration plant in Baekseok-dong, Cheonan, insisting on a 40% composition of the consultative body and a 40% allocation rate for the fund.
On the 2nd, during the '2024 Second Half Open Meeting' with residents of Eumbong-myeon, Mayor Park indicated a strong response, saying, "Residents of Samil Apartment and Taeheon Jangmi Apartment have endured for a long time, but we can no longer tolerate this."
Since January last year, Asan City has been voicing opposition to the replacement and expansion of Incinerator No. 1, pointing out the unfairness of Cheonan City's designation of a 'surrounding impact area' with a radius of 1,200 meters.
According to the city, the general standard for the surrounding impact area of waste treatment facilities is a radius of 300 meters. In the case of the Cheonan incineration plant, only residential areas of Asan citizens, such as Samil Apartment and Taeheon Jangmi Apartment, are located within a 500-meter radius of the facility.
However, Cheonan City expanded the surrounding impact area to a radius of 1,200 meters, including eight villages in Baekseok-dong and Chaam-dong, Cheonan. Asan City claims that this reduced the proportion of Asan residents among all 'surrounding impact area' residents to 27%, making them a minority in decision-making and fund allocation.
Mayor Park emphasized, "The current composition of the consultative body and the fund allocation rate do not reflect at all the fact that only Asan residents live within a 500-meter radius of the facility. If Cheonan and Asan were a single administrative district, it would have been natural to set the impact area at a radius of 300 or 500 meters. Therefore, Asan's demand for a '40% composition of the consultative body and a 40% fund allocation rate' is not excessive, but the minimum requirement."
He added, "The landfill issue is a problem that will persist as long as cities exist, and it is not just an issue for the current generation. Since it is also a matter for future generations, I will do my best to protect residents' rights until the end."
Meanwhile, at the meeting, Eumbong-myeon residents requested the following: the upgrade of Eumbong 119 Local Unit to a 119 Safety Center, installation of soundproof walls along National Road No. 43, rezoning for the development of the area around Yuwon University, paving of the unpaved farm road in Ssangryong-ri, installation of a smart bus stop near Sandong Elementary School, and maintenance of Sandongcheon Stream as well as installation of streetlights and CCTV.
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