West Allegheny school directors last night renewed a five-year contract for trash and recycling collection with Republic Services/Allied Waste, operator of the Imperial Landfill that has drawn odor complaints from teachers in nearby Wilson Elementary School in Findlay.

The school board also agreed to a 5-year extension for Republic/Allied to pay the district 25 cents per ton of garbage dumped in the landfill. The deal is expected to generate at least $150,000 a year in general revenue.

The per-ton payments, which the landfill has paid the schools in lieu of any sort of mercantile tax, will offset the approximately $45,000 annual cost of collection services, Business Manager Jerry Wessel said.

Board members voted 9-0 to award the collection contract and voted 8-1 on the payment arrangement with director Patrick Konieczny the lone dissenter. Both approvals were contingent upon review by the board's attorney.

Imperial Landfill has been working with the Allegheny County Health Department, the state Department of Environmental Protection, and a citizens advisory panel of school and community representatives to address the odor issues.

West Allegheny covers Findlay, Oakdale and North Fayette.