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Foster Conservation Commission urges three additional DPW yard Saturdays; council to explore grant and volunteer options
Summary
The Foster Conservation Commission proposed adding three Saturday drop‑off days at the DPW yard to supplement the annual Earth Day event and encouraged the council to pursue a Rhode Island Resource Recovery grant (application due Feb. 6, 2025); councilors asked for cost estimates and consideration of volunteers to limit overtime expense.
The Foster Conservation Commission asked the Foster Town Council to consider opening the Department of Public Works (DPW) yard for residents to drop off electronics, mattresses, appliances, scrap steel and other household waste on three additional Saturdays each year (8 a.m.–noon), in addition to the existing Earth Day event.
Dave Rathman, chairman of the Foster Conservation Commission, said the commission recognized the DPW yard is open weekdays but that weekday hours are not convenient for many working residents. The commission proposed seasonal dates — one each in summer, fall and winter — and asked the DPW director to provide an operating‑cost estimate for the council’s consideration. The commission also flagged a grant program administered by Rhode Island Resource Recovery with an application deadline of Feb. 6, 2025, that might cover some non‑labor costs.
Council discussion focused on budget impacts and administration. A council member who reviewed the grant said the program examples did not appear to cover employee overtime, and opening the yard on three additional Saturdays would require two employees working four hours of overtime each day unless volunteers were used. Councilors suggested tabling a final decision until the DPW director (Gordon, as referenced in the meeting) provides cost estimates; they also asked the Conservation Commission to ask members whether they could staff some Saturdays as volunteers to reduce overtime cost. Councilors noted prior grant awards included substantial administrative reporting and that staff capacity to manage grant requirements should be assessed before committing.
During public comment, resident Bob Horton urged the council to permit furniture drop‑off and to consider a swap area at the DPW yard to allow reuse rather than landfill disposal. Horton also suggested charging a fee for furniture disposal, as practiced in some nearby towns. Councilors said the idea of swap/repurposing and potential recycling revenue was worth exploring and encouraged the commission to return with cost estimates and a volunteer plan. The council also suggested inexpensive outreach options — for example, a $365 full‑page ad in the Foster Home Journal and email blasts — if the council decides to pilot additional Saturdays.
