BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — Baldwin County Commissioners are now tasked with approving or denying a landfill project in Bay Minette.

“That’s a danger area. The roads are not equipped for it. This is our neighborhood. We’ve been back there 15 years,” a resident, who lives near the site on Red Hill Road Extension, said.

Residents took turns at the podium Tuesday to speak out against the reopening of Red Hill Landfill in Bay Minette. It’s been dormant since 1996, but it could reopen by next summer if the project is approved to help with the growing demand on the north end of Baldwin County.

The landfill would be used for construction and demolition debris but adding a transfer station means trucks can drop off solid waste before it’s ultimately transferred to another site.

“It’s scary the amount of traffic that’s coming through there right now,” Calvin Phillips said. “There are no crosswalks on the roads; the children cross the streets.”

An attorney representing the Baldwin County Public School System echoes those concerns, saying the added traffic poses safety risks for students, faculty and parents at Bay Minette Middle School and Baldwin County High School.

“What would happen in the event of an emergency and just the oncoming traffic that’s planning to come into the area to be on those roads in addition to all of the traffic that’s already on those roads during the a.m. and p.m. hours when kids are coming and going,” Sarah Young explained.

Baldwin County Solid Waste Director Terri Graham declined to speak on camera after the meeting but told us Monday the Red Hill Road Extension site is the best option since the county already owns the property.

“We do want to provide the service for the best rate that we can where we offer a public service. So doing that most economical for the citizens is what we try to do,” Graham said.

The vote is expected on or before Oct. 17.