The county has no intention of using staff to do any of the demolition work at the Beaver Hill Disposal Site, despite assurances made to laid off workers by Cam Parry to the contrary. Instead the county has negotiated a reduced closure fee for the Joe Ney construction debris facility and will begin closure proceedings forthwith and hope to demolish BHDS by using outside contractors by June according to witnesses at a meeting this afternoon.
Engineer Dan Mumford who hired Brady Consulting to evaluate the facility last month and upon whose scathing assessment the commission is relying upon so heavily, now says the cost of a new incinerator may be in the $110 million range rather than the $25 to $20 million quoted in the report. The board also discussed plans to part out the facility and all usable equipment, including vehicles to recover costs associated with closure yet curiously maintained that the recent layoffs at the site were still just temporary. The board has yet to decide whether to purchase a small incinerator for medical waste and records but still plans to ship all county waste from this point forward to distant landfills, possibly by rail.
The board mocked the idea of local machine shops bidding to repair components and it must be noted that several local businesses will suffer if the county successfully converts the site to a transfer station causing additional job loss in the private sector. This action may benefit Waste Connections but will be a net job loss to the county.
Obviously this is pure conjecture but the coarse handling of this entire shutdown has the lingering taste of vendetta around it. Parry’s hatred of Randy Sanne has been both public and verbally violent and I can’t shake the feeling shutting this facility has nothing to do with rational thought. Nevertheless, the decision has really been spearheaded by Fred Messerle and fully supported by Bob Main. If the public is going to do anything to stop this, they must act now and I encourage everyone to contact the commissioners demanding they hold a series of public hearings before tanking a multimillion dollar asset and forever indenturing the citizens to the whims of commercial haulers. Within eighteen months everyone will see their rates increase despite claims that landfills are a cheaper way of managing waste than incineration.
Bob Main
(541) 396-3121 ext 770
Fred Messerle
(541) 396-3121 ext 247
Cam Parry
(541) 396-3121 ext 281
Below is my email on this matter to the commissioners:
The citizens of Coos County need our own disposal site to control the future of our area. Without it we will be subject to the extortion of private enterprise, which has now apparently become legal. Please obtain a third opinion or cost estimate from an independent company regarding the repair or replacement of the burners we own. Invite the state to come inspect the facility. Do what you can to keep us independent.
Without this, I see disposal rates becoming too high for the populace here, and the increase in illegal dumping on our county lands. Even now, a ride along Libby Rd. will reveal the future you will bring us to with mattresses and refrigerators along the way.
It seems there were mistakes made in regard to this facility, but the public has shown support in the past and will do so again if given the facts. Please do not trash this facility or turn it over to a private party.