Debris collection, demolition landfill and temporary processing sites expand as county faces months of cleanup

County officials described an expanding debris-management operation that includes extended landfill hours, an additional downtown processing site and a temporary site at the former fairgrounds to accept tree and demolition debris from storm damage.

Bruce (County Engineer) told the board highway crews cleared many roads to allow emergency access within about 12 hours and that six cutting crews are active: three county crews, two contracted crews and one crew from Lakewood County. “Right now, we’re expecting potentially a month of cleanup for us,” Bruce said, and identified Lake Avenue as one of the most heavily impacted thoroughfares.

Brian (Solid Waste staff) reported all four buildings at the transfer station sustained damage; the transfer station had to set up temporary collection operations while repair and water mitigation work proceeds. He estimated roughly $1 million in damage to the transfer station facility and said demolition landfill hours were extended and a second processing site at the old fairground and a target-site processing area were stood up to handle commercial and resident loads.

The county reported a peak influx at the demolition landfill of roughly 2,500 vehicles in a single day and said a grinder is operating at the target site to process incoming logs and wood debris. County staff described limits on mutual aid for solid waste because other local governments face similar damage and said solid-waste operations are short‑staffed; the county has leased trailers and contracted hauling to move material offsite.

County staff warned that public assistance (state/federal reimbursement) generally covers restoration of public facilities and rights-of-way but not private-property debris removal. Bruce said an early, informal county estimate for a broader countywide debris pickup (including private-property material) could reach millions; he offered a working figure in the meeting of up to $7,000,000 to collect widespread tree and yard debris countywide, but noted that number is highly preliminary and depends on scope and approach.

Staff recommended short-term measures including additional site hours, leasing material‑handling equipment and hiring temporary staff to sustain processing operations; the board gave staff informal direction to proceed with recruitment and union discussions to identify temporary project employees and to prepare a formal request for funding and contract approvals if required.

Why this matters: The volume of tree and demolition debris, limits on mutual aid and high disposal and processing costs affect how quickly residents’ properties can be returned to normal and how much public money may be required for continued operations.

What’s next: Staff will return with a detailed debris-management plan, estimated costs, recommended staffing and equipment leases, and timeline options for level-of-service decisions (hours, sites and chip/haul strategy).