For seventeen years the Coos County Solid Waste department supported its operations entirely through the fees it charges to private and commercial haulers for delivering waste to the Beaver Hill Disposal Site. Prior to this commission the department had never tapped into the general fund and actually built up a $2.7 million contingency fund (unfortunately through deferred maintenance) from which it used $400K last spring, in the form of a loan, to purchase metal extraction equipment. There is estimated to be more than $1 million in recyclable metal in the ash trenches which would more than pay for the capital purchase although present staffing levels due to a recent layoff have idled metal reclamation.
According to records obtained through the DEQ, Waste Connections began cutting back on the amount of tonnage it delivered to BHDS in late 2010, shortly before the late Andy Jackson took office. Jackson was the liaison to solid waste and was provided the information and a copy of a 2003 order and was said to be taking the cutback by the independent hauler seriously. Sadly, Jackson passed away barely a month after he was sworn in but within two weeks of his appointment, interim commissioner Cam Parry was also handed the material. As we all know, nothing whatsoever was done to correct the problem before it grew into an “emergency”.
Later that summer the commission, Parry, Bob Main and Fred Messerle voted unanimously to purchase the metal extraction equipment and to use contingency funds in the form of a loan. The board was fully aware when they voted to make the purchase that Waste Connections was starving the facility yet they agreed that the metal in the pits would pay for the equipment. Throughout all the discussion about the costs at BHDS and how it is not paying its way, this board never discusses the revenue side of the equation. They have ignored the benefits of extracting metal and until last Tuesday, appeared ready to rollover on enforcement with Waste Connections.
To recap. Until Parry took over as liaison the facility operated in the black and all three burners were functioning. Since Parry has taken over the facility is being starved of revenue, burdened with debt which it technically should not have to pay back anyway, (after all the fund was built up in part by deferring maintenance and capital purchases). Since Parry has taken over as liaison for the first time in seventeen years the department is pulling money out of the general fund in the form of unemployment payments, has idled all three burners even though Tom Peterson of DEQ confirms two burners can run off the west duct and will now incur further expense to haul trash and leachate away from the site. Oh, and don’t forget that $400K metal shaker that is now sitting idle.
Is this incompetence or deliberate sabotage? Either way it is happening with the full cooperation of all three commissioners. What do you think?
Magix says “If the current crop of politicians have their way, there will not be a tree standing by 2020”.
After the “insiders” get their UR funds, and with the rising cost of PERS, they will have to cut it all to pay for their retirements. The system is unsustainable. Don’t expect any politicians to fix it. We will just have to wait for the “Wave”.
I hope the answer is NO, they are not related! The question I reluctantly ask is, Is Ms.Barton the county treasurer, related to Jon Barton of SCDC fame. The reason I ask is I have seen some (Al and gang) referencing her numbers as part of their argument for dealing with BHDS. Do they have an insider we’re not aware of?
Don’t forget the structure committee came on board shortly after they bought the metal shaker. Al immediately used the loan as an excuse to complain about how much money the site is losing every month. Looks like a conspiracy to me, of fools maybe but still a conspiracy.
If the current crop of politicians have their way, there will not be a tree standing by 2020. Our kids will grow up wondering what a forest looked like.
Perhaps Cam will see fit to come on this blog and ‘splain himself.
Why HAVE you done this Cam? Facts are facts Cam, and all the quiet talk in the world ain’t gonna change it.
THAT’S WHAT I WANT !!!! I WANT YOU TO COME TO OUR SIDE.
Never forget Bob Main brought us this misery and expense.
Thank you for asking M, I think as long as they have Clark and his Industry Rag/High School Sports report in their pocket, they will continue to screw us right in front of us, and if you so much as groan, they will shut you up. Cam has NO intention of responding to the people who pay his wages, in fact his boss. He’s simply playing good cop for his crowd, he’s as dirty as the other two. What is even more infuriating to me, is they do it and they don’t care what you think because they are drawing their salary, and couldn’t care less. They protect their own, that is pure arrogance, and show us they are certain they can’t be touched. The damage already done by these three Amigos is glaring, remember what Fred told us, “I intend to hit the ground running”. What ol Fred should be running from is the fines for the damage they did “moving” a damn creek. But they won’t because ‘who ya gonna call’?
Our government has been hijacked by SCDC and its collaborators. There’s no watchdog agency willing to protect the people of Coos county. This is just the bottom level of the peoples government and its as corrupt as we have all feared it would be when these appointments were made. The upper state and federal levels of our government are co-conspirators with this county government to make the resources of this area available for harvest and profit and these guys and gals are all trying to aspire to that upper level. What a mess for the younger generations to inherit.