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Transfer Station Committee
Bethlehem, NH
Minutes of the Meeting
September 21, 2017
Committee members attending the meeting were: Mary Moritz, Barry Zitser, Martin Glavac, Julie Seely, Chris McGrath, Dann, Jerry Blanchard, Brett Jackson, Katherine Darges, Jeanne Robillard, Andrea Bryant. Absent: Mike Culver, Leslie Drier, Jim Martin
In the absence of Jeanne Robillard at the Rte 116 site visit, Julian Czarny recorded discussions there.
The committee convened at 6:15 PM at the former Bethlehem Transfer Station on Rte. 116 to determine the current condition of the site and get an idea of what it might take to put the station back into operation.
Brett Jackson described the current conditions at the site:
The bank where the containers were was filled in for safety.
Blocks were removed and incorporated into uses at the town garage.
Container area is still flat.
There is still a tarred area near the edge.
Other comments about the site:
There used to be a burn pile.
There was a small building and outhouse.
People complained that there was no “swap shop”.
There was no compactor or equipment at the site. They used the highway department equipment when needed.
The facility should have a backhoe with fork dedicated to staying there to help with bailing and compacting.
It would be good to have concrete pads for containers.
Dumpsters had to be covered, at first by tarps but then got roll tops.
The site should have electricity and building to store batteries and fluorescent bulbs.
The transfer station would need containers for recycling.
One town employee was stationed at the site during operation. Three town employees including Brett Jackson were trained and certified to run the transfer station.
Original preparation of the transfer station required moving many large boulders and refilling the area with gravel. That substantial cost can be removed from future site preparation.
No one remembers what was done with appliances.
There were some run off problems when it rained. Culvert would need to be checked.
The group briefly discussed which other sites were considered back when the Rte 116 site originally was chosen.
Jerry Blanchard mentioned that there was a concern about traffic on Rte 116 into and out of the transfer station.
There was a question about whether the DOT permit has expired.
The meeting adjourned on site and reconvened at Town Hall.
Jeanne Robillard presented a template for Working Plan, using the directions and goals set by the Select Board in their committee description. She explained the way the template guides the work process.
Dann objected to some of the wording on the template, saying that it appears that the committee is not supposed to look at all options for handling municipal solid waste (MSW). A review of the template compared to the original direction given by the Select Board showed that all options are to be considered.
Dann reported that he talked to the manager of the Littleton transfer station, and he is willing to come talk to us and share information.
The committee worked on the first goal – to plan and forecast expenditures and revenues pertaining to the reopening of the Bethlehem transfer station.
Jeanne Robillard applied the information from the discussion to the work plan. She will provide the current version of the plan so that it is attached to the minutes of the meeting.
Other discussion and questions:
It is believed that when the town operated the transfer station using Pay as You Throw it generated about $60,000 in revenue.
When discussing timeline it was reminded that Casella is suppose to close in 2021.
The committee of the past entertained the idea of a battery-operated compactor.
What would the containers cost?
What are the levels of service that should be provided?
Another option mentioned for service is that Bethlehem could have a truck at the Rte 116 site or at the town garage to which residents could bring their MSW.
Part of running site needs to include Plowing the site out.
Barry asked: how much solid waste does Bethlehem generate…
Brett has numbers from the when it was on 116, we can also get them from NCES but have to take that cautiously because non residents dump there. Mary said she would get those figures.
It was decided to take the last sentence of Objective 1 regarding warrant articles and make it Objective 6: Come up with feasible figure for a warrant article.
Based on the evening’s visit to the Rte 116 site, the committee discussed what needs to be done to the land to get the 116 site operational – brush needs to be cleared, gravel needs to be brought in and/or graded. The area for containers needs to be reformed and wall needs to be rebuilt. It would be best to have a concrete floor. Electricity to the site would be a good thing.
Dann thinks Littleton could handle Bethlehem’s garbage. He spoke to operator who said that may be a possibility.
Traffic on Rte 116 is a concern. It could be helpful to have a sign that says traffic entering…
Barry Zitser would like to call Pine Tree Power to see whether their facility can be used to incinerate trash. He will do that. Members of the committee stressed that he make clear that he does not represent the town. It was brought up that Bethlehem has a zoning law prohibiting incinerators.
Barry Zitser also will call Regan Pride regarding budgets of different transfer stations.
The committee reviewed minutes from September 14. Julie Seely proposed a change to more accurately represent what she said: “municipally owned so they can say they choose to or not to take out-of-state waste”. And at the bottom of that paragraph to: “Maine made a law that says that no new privately owned landfills are allowed.
Barry Zitser made a motion to accept the minutes as amended. It was seconded by Martin Glavac. The committee unanimously voted to approve.
Julie Seely made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Andrea Bryant seconded it. All were in favor of the motion, and the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 PM.
Submitted by Andrea Bryant and Katherine Darges
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