Talking trash again

The Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) board met for the first time in two months on Wednesday, May 2 at 7 p.m. at the Encampment/Riverside Library in Encampment. The board had not met in April as several members of the board were unavailable and a quorum would not have been possible. This meeting also saw the return of board member Leroy Stephenson, who had a planned absence while he was on vacation.

During the site reports, Ron Munson informed the board that since Jan. 4, 2018 the UPRSWDD had removed approximately 1,173 tons of trash. This amount is nearly twice as much as was removed from the transfer stations in both Saratoga and Encampment between Aug. 15, 2017 and Dec. 31, 2017. Munson also informed the board that the recyclables that had been hauled away from the Saratoga transfer station last month weighed in at 22 tons.

Raymer and Munson also had another brief discussion over the location of the steel pile and whether to move it, hide it with fence or to increase the number of times the pile is shipped out. Munson told Raymer that while they could move it somewhere else, it would require ground work as much of the area is covered with topsoil that could not support the weight of the steel and would cause it to sink.

The board also discussed the “cardboard abusers” that had been brought up during the meeting in March.

“I did notice, because I’m a frequenter of the restaurant next to Family Dollar,” said Raymer, “that they are at least breaking down all their boxes and putting them next to their dumpster. Is somebody picking them up?”

“Their truck was picking them up for a while,” Munson replied, adding he had not seen the piles removed the last two times he had emptied the business’s dumpster.

Another piece of old business the board discussed was the issues with the dumpsters at the Saratoga Hot Pool and Veterans Island.

“I noticed in the minutes, you guys had decided to ask them to pick those (dumpsters) up so they weren’t there,” said Stephenson.

“I was going to write a letter to ask them to at least put out smaller containers, or something, because they’re full in one day after he (Munson) dumps them,” Raymer replied.

Raymer added that the value the solid waste district was extending the town in regard to billing and maintenance of the road to the landfill was “getting out of balance quite a bit” due to the number of people who were using the two large trash receptacles.

“It’s my intention to write them a letter and at least ask them to remove them from October to May,” Raymer said.

In other business, the board discussed the relocation or removal of two structures still located at the old landfill site: the machinery shed and the attendant’s shack. After some discussion amongst the board, it was decided that it would be easier and more cost effective to build a new shed over by the transfer site versus relocating the current one. The board also decided to advertise the old shed and the attendant’s shack for sale, with both structures having to be dismantled and hauled by the buyer.

With no other business to conduct, the board adjourned. The next meeting of the UPRSWDD board will be at 7 p.m. on June 6 at the Saratoga Town Hall in Saratoga.