just because a company has a presence in Coos County does not mean it is local. Verizon, Frontier, Pacific Power, Safeway and Walmart, Oregon Resources and yes, Waste Connections may all do business here but their profits exit the county the moment you pay them for goods or services
Read MoreThere is a meeting this morning to discuss the solid waste department and it is rumored the board will officially convert it to a privately operated transfer station controlled by Waste Connections.
Read MoreBecause this board habitually meets in executive session before each and every board meeting the likelihood the discussions stray into areas that are not exempt from public meetings is pretty high.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreA former department head and site manager at the Beaver Hill Disposal Site writes that Coos County commissioners may have been making poor choices for the plant for many years. Skip Sumstine pointed out that a decision long ago...
Read MoreThe topic of converting the facility into a transfer station did come up and it is apparent that Bob Main, after a very cursory and superficial review of the cost of another bond to upgrade the facility is not in favor of a new $25 to $30 million incinerator. Meanwhile, a local machinist has expressed a willingness to provide a quote on repairing the existing facility with an expected cost of less than $2 million.
Read MoreNumber one is the only option that will allow a vote of the people or even allow for a public hearing process. Options two and three will probably not allow for any public hearing process either. Despite the doubt cast on the recent Brady Report claiming the facility is falling apart by an earlier URS report claiming the facility could operate another 15 years with normal maintenance, the commissioners are accepting the Brady report are not willing to consider a third opinion or making repairs to the existing structure.
Read MorePublic comment may seem like a waste of time considering the board generally appears to have its mind made up in advance but it is important to the public record. Raising issues during public comment allows the public to argue decisions, possibly even in civil court, because the officials were properly warned or advised.
Read MoreBy Larry Van Elsberg, former Coos County Roadmaster Dear Commissioner Perry, As a citizen of Coos County, I feel an obligation to try and stay informed on matters that affect our way of life here in our great county. I realize...
Read MoreFrom fiscal year 2009 through 2011 the site has been shorted 8,351 tons at $79 per ton or $659,774 which doesn’t even include the current fiscal year. The site lost $421,849 in waste disposal revenue last year alone, apparently all due to Waste Connections.
Read MoreIn my opinion, the letter from Waste Connections did not qualify for exemption from public meetings law and should not have been discussed in executive session. How many other items of this nature are withheld from public scrutiny? Lastly, we were misled last week, the board isn’t calling the curtain on Waste Connections and all three commissioners were complicit in that bit of theater.
Read MoreIn other words, Parry with the full complicity of Bob Main and Fred Messerle, misled the audience last Tuesday and have since refused to answer emails requests for clarification.
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