Shoes major topic of China transfer station committee meeting

by Mary Grow

Shoes were a major topic at the China Transfer Station Committee’s Feb. 11 meeting.

Committee member Rachel Anderson, one of the volunteers at the free for the taking building, explained that many people donate used shoes, and many of the shoes are wearable – if the right person with the right size feet comes along quickly.

Shoes not promptly claimed are apt to end up on the floor, separated and getting stepped on and grubby. A volunteer can sometimes reunite and clean up a few pairs; too many end up discarded.

Committee members proposed protective measures, like zip-tying pairs to keep them together. They suggested alternative places for donating used shoes, including Goodwill, in Waterville, and perhaps the Palermo Christian Church – they knew the church accepted donated clothing, but were not sure about shoes (see box).

More volunteers to keep the building organized would also help, they said. Transfer Station Manager Thomas Maraggio commended the Palermo resident who volunteers an hour every morning.

An inquiry to the Palermo Christian Church brought the reply that “our Exchange Shop does accept new or gently used shoes.”

The church is located at 322 Branch Mills Road, in Palermo. Its website is www.palermochristianchurch.org; telephone number is (207) 993-2636; email address is office@palermochristianchurch.org. The church also has a Facebook page.

Two broader issues discussed Feb. 11 were revisions to the draft transfer station mission statement and the preliminary 2025-26 budget.

The mission statement emphasizes recycling. Committee members talked again about the money saved on disposal costs, and sometimes earned when the price of recyclables is up, and about ways to promote and publicize these benefits to taxpayers.

(In a Jan. 23 email, Town Clerk Angela Nelson copied an invoice showing China was paid $1,741.68 for a shipment of cardboard. Accompanying comments from Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood added that China did not pay for the trucking, and 43,542 pounds, or almost 22 tons, had been taken out of the waste stream, for which the town pays trucking and disposal costs.)

Two suggestions in the draft statement are to develop alternative energy at, and for, the transfer station and to install automatic gates that would allow off-hours dumping.

Palermo representative Bob Kurek said alternative energy suggestions include solar power or an incinerator. Hapgood said a consultant had advised that the covered-over waste pile north of the station is not suitable for solar, although there might be other alternatives.

Off-hours access is forbidden by the state, so committee chairman J. Christopher Baumann deleted the proposal. Hapgood said the town office does not get a lot of complaints about operating hours.

The first draft 2025-26 transfer station budget shows a decrease, mostly because one employee who works there and in public works will be moved to the public works budget.

Committee members briefly discussed the transfer station scales. Director of Public Services Shawn Reed said load sensors and the steel support beams need replacement. Maraggio added that an inspector said the scales have been well maintained and should last another 15 to 20 years. The draft budget includes $12,000 for a scale reserve fund.

Maraggio’s list of 2025-26 projects includes creating a state-required impervious surface under the brush pile; doing additional paving; changing drainage around the recycling building; and replacing the recycling center roof.

The next China Transfer Station Committee meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 11.