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[EMILY:] GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US... ON TUESDAY... MARCH TWENTY THIRD... GOLDS GYM HAD THEIR MONTHLY STAFF MEETING...

THE BIG HOT BUTTON ISSUE ON THE MEETINGS AGENDA WAS THE RECENT INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF A GYM MEMBERSHIP...

[TAKE VO]

[CG: MEMBERS WORKING OUT]

ON FEBRUARY FIRST OF THIS YEAR... MEMBERSHIP PRICES INCREASED BY ABOUT EIGHT PERCENT... AS A RESULTS MANY MEMBERS WERE UPSET AT THE INCREASE BECAUSE OF THE ALREADY HIGH COSTS OF A MEMBERSHIP.... THIS ISSUE ULTIMATELY LED TO THE STAFF MEETING... 

[EMILY:] AND THE CONCLUSION AT THE MEETING WAS THAT PRICES OF A MEMBERSHIP WILL CONTINUE TO STAY THE SAME AND NOT BE LOWERED BACK TO THE PRICE BEFORE FEBRUARY FIRST.... ON OTHER NEWS...

[TRT: 32:53]

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At the Gold’s Gym Staff meeting held on Tuesday, March 23, there were many issues that were brought up for discussion by employees. The first issue an employee spoke up about was how a mother left her two children at the gym’s pool. The employee said, “ last week I had a problem with an adult who brought her 3 year old and 15 year old to the pool and then instead of staying with them, she went and worked out.” The manager’s were very upset after hearing about the employees situation and said that they would make signs to put about around the gym to reiterate the policy. The meeting went on, following the agenda and talked about the lost and found, the protein shake complaints and finally the increase of the price of memberships. The increase of the price of a membership is the “hot button” issue for the gym at this point. Many members who have already purchased memberships have called and complained that the prices are too high for them to keep coming to the gym. On February 1, 2010 the gym memberships went up by 8%. The manager explained that because of the economy and also because of the costs to keep the gym up and running, there was no other option. Member’s who have their membership taken out electronically every month will see no difference in price, if their memberships were purchased before February 1. When an employee asked if the price of a membership will be raised again, there was no answer. It is fair to conclude that the economy is very unpredictable just like the prices of many luxury items, which of course includes gym memberships. 

Pine Tree Landfill

The Pine Tree Landfill

by: Emily Robson

The Pine Tree Landfill sits at 358 Emerson Mill Road in Hampden, Maine and has sat there for more than 35 years. The Landfill was once started by a man named Tom Sawyer back in 1974 for the disposal of solid waste for Hampden residences. The landfill at this time had specific guidelines as to what types of waste were allowed to be dropped off to sit on this spot in Hampden. But in 1996, Casella Waste bought the small landfill in Hampden and expanded the landfill. Casella brought waste from all over Maine and out of State and deposited the waste on 358 Emerson Mill Road. The last waste deposit that was left at the Hampden location happened on December 31, 2009. Even though the waste deposits have ceased, there are problems that will remain and problems that will appear for the small town of 6,000 residence. “The Closure Project” is expected to take place in the first six months of 2010. The project’s goal is to effectively shut down the site. The company is planning on installing gas lines to eliminate odors that seep through-out the town, this process includes digging up waste that was brought to Maine years ago. Although the Pine Tree Landfill is in the shut down process it doesn’t mean that waste will cease to be brought to Maine. The sister Landfill to Pine Tree sits in Old Town, Maine and is called the “Juniper Ridge Landfill.” The effects of living around a landfill are unknown, the chemicals they use to fight against the odors have not yet shown any side effects. If the waste were to meet any town water or to seep into farming soil this would be a different story. Many neighbors to the landfill have received benefits from the Casella Waste Company, such as a continuous supply of bottled water and annual property tax rebates. Casella currently tests offsite for environmental damage but once the facility completely closes down these benefits will disappear as well.  When interviewing a woman who lives in a neighborhood about 5 miles away from the Pine Tree Landfill, she said that she was “thrilled that the landfill was closing.” She also went on to mention that she felt like “trash mountain” was an enormous eye sore for the town. When asked if she could ever smell the Landfill, she said, “ I often smell the Trash mountain in my neighborhood. It smells of a foul odor and often smells like chemicals. She is unsure if there are any health risks that come along with living in a town with a massive landfill. “I’m sure we will find out soon enough,” she added as the interview ended.  It is said on the Casella Waste website that, Casella is working with local and state governments to design and construct “environmentally sound landfill deposal facilities.” It also says that Casella is responsible for “managing over 3 million tons of waste each year.”  Reading through the Casella website it seems that the company insists that landfills will certainly not disappear and that their company can provide environmental friendly waste systems. On the company’s landfill locator, it shows ten active landfill sites in New England.With landfills surrounding the New England area, the landfills may be a bigger problem than the two currently in the state of Maine. 

With the “Closure Project” underway for the Pine Tree Landfill, there is only one thing the residence of Hampden can do. And that is to wait and see what the effects have on the environment, to their neighbors and to themselves.