Transfer station committee shares updates

by Mary Grow

China’s Transfer Station Committee members held a short June 17 meeting to share updates on various projects, with acting committee chairman Mark Davis (former chairman Lawrence Sikora has resigned from the committee) presiding virtually.

One job is done, Palermo representative Robert Kurek reported. He and China Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood updated the contract between the two towns that lets Palermo residents use China’s transfer station; China select board members approved it; two of Palermo’s three select board members did the same, and he expects the third, who was absent from the meeting, to have no objections (see The Town Line, June 16, p. 3).

A second project, making more use of information obtained from the Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tags issued to transfer station users, is about to get a boost, Director of Public Services Shawn Reed said. Former town employee and committee member Ashley Farrington plans to see what can be done to make the tags more useful.

Palermo member Chris Diesch, who has compiled information from RFID records, plans to share her results with Farrington. Committee members again emphasized that RFID data do not identify individual users.

Reed said he is making progress toward buying the new Volvo loader that select board members authorized. He has a locked-in price – higher than when the select board acted – and might get the machine this fall.

The loader will come with a bucket. Reed said he is looking for reasonable deals on two other attachments discussed with select board members, a snow pusher and a grapple, the latter to help pile brush, metal and similar materials. Kurek endorsed investing in a grapple – very useful, he said.

Reed reported no progress on siting a new concrete storage pad; codes officer Jaime Hanson resigned before he finished advising on possible locations. Davis reported no progress on finding a cover for the second compactor.

Prices for recyclables remain low, Reed said. China’s transfer station currently accepts number two plastic, clear and colored; cardboard; and magazines and newspapers.

Committee members do not plan to meet again until September, with the date to be determined.