China transfer station water tested; it is potable, with issues

by Mary Grow

Transfer station staffer Cheyenne “CJ” Houle reported on several projects she is working on. The one completed at the end of March was getting the water at the transfer station tested: it is potable, Houle reported.

However, it still has an unpleasant odor that she and Director of Public Services Shawn Reed called “undescribable.” They think it comes from the water heater.

Asked about the water, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said, “I will not be drinking it nor requiring them to drink it.”

Houle is working on ways to make the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system more useful. If she cannot increase its value to town staff, she will consider alternatives.

She is also pursuing a possible grant, through the Maine Municipal Association, that would provide a solar lighting system for the free for the taking building. Again, if grant money is not available, she has an alternative in mind.

When Palermo representative Robert Kurek suggested a different grant program that might help develop a small waste-to-energy generation system at the China transfer station, Houle offered to investigate it.

Committee members praised Houle for her many activities.

Lucas and Reed discussed the possible reopening of the waste-to-energy plant in Hampden, financed by China and 114 other Maine municipalities and inactive for almost three years. The Municipal Review Committee (MRC), the group representing member towns, had scheduled an April 13 virtual meeting to discuss a new partnership, Lucas said.

Hapgood said she and Kurek had adjusted the cost of the trash bags Palermo residents need to dispose of household trash at China’s transfer station. The new prices are $2.80 for large bags (or $14 for a “sleeve” of five bags) and $1.60 for small bags.

The fee for trash Palermo residents bring in non-official bags will rise from $3 to $4.

The committee adjourned without setting its next meeting date.