China transfer station manager: Things are going smoothly

by Mary Grow

China Transfer Station Committee members held a short and cheerful meeting the morning of Oct. 8. Transfer station manager Thomas Maraggio and committee member Rachel Anderson, who volunteers at the free for the taking building, both said things are going smoothly.

The one major pending issue is the revised agreement between China and Palermo allowing Palermo residents to use China’s transfer station. It has been approved by China’s select board members, but in Palermo needs approval by town meeting voters.

Palermo officials have scheduled a public hearing and special town meeting for 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17, at Palermo Consolidated School, to act on the revised agreement. The Palermo website says copies of the agreement are posted under Transfer Station and are available at the town office.

China Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said if Palermo residents reject the amended agreement, the November 2023 letter giving the required year’s notice to end the intertown arrangement will take effect on Nov. 13.

Maraggio reported the water filters designed to eliminate PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from the facility’s water supply were installed, and the water no longer smells. The filters are to be inspected every six months and changed when needed, he said, with the length of their useful life depending on the amount of use.

Hapgood said China got 50 percent state reimbursement for the filters. She will find out whether the state contributes to inspection and replacement costs.

The pad for the new building by the gate where China residents can pick up buckets of winter sand is down, Maraggio said. When the building is finished, he intends to put signs on it explaining where different kinds of recyclables and trash go.

Committee chairman J. Christopher Baumann reported on plans to invite teachers to bring classes to tour the transfer station and learn about recycling.

Hapgood and committee members praised the Halloween decorations at the facility, and the flowers that have been planted. Maraggio said his wife is the flower-tender, assisted by a small annual grant from a Waterville garden organization.

Baumann expressed the committee’s thanks to all involved.

The next transfer station committee meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 12. The agenda is likely to include renewed discussion of the facility’s five-year plan, in preparation for 2024-25 budget planning.