Thurston County public works staff told the Solid Waste Advisory Committee that a new transfer-station compactor is scheduled for installation Oct. 20 and that several site-improvement projects are underway to improve throughput, security and safety.

Matt Sanderson and county staff said the new compactor is the largest model the vendor makes for the county and includes larger hydraulic pumps and modestly higher horsepower. Staff said the upgrade is expected to increase compactor cycles per hour — improving throughput and reducing downtime while the facility remains operational.

Separately, staff reported the site’s security system replacement is complete and the upgraded fire-alarm system is about 92% complete pending fire-marshal signoff. County staff said the newer systems will reduce false alarms and allow remote monitoring and arming capabilities for the facility.

On longer-term work, county staff said they completed a procurement to hire owner-advisor and construction-management services for a broader transfer-station reconfiguration and selected the Townsend & Turner Heery team. That consultant contract is scheduled for board approval on Sept. 30; once approved, staff expect to select a project delivery method and proceed toward procurement and design phases. The county described the likely approach as an alternative delivery method (for example, a design-build or progressive design-build) to improve coordination among the county, the facility operator and contractors while maintaining continuous operations.

During the update staff acknowledged schedule uncertainty. “We are slightly behind schedule, but just by several months,” Jeff (Solid Waste staff) said. County staff said the timeline anticipates remaining design and procurement work into 2026 and possibly through 2028 depending on delivery method and permitting.

Ending: County staff said they will inform the public about temporary service impacts during installation and will report back to the committee as procurement milestones are reached.