Tamworth approves new brush-disposal fees; transfer station recycling building design advances

Tamworth's Select Board on Aug. 26 approved new fees for brush disposal at the town transfer station and received an update on a proposed recycling building and bale-storage layout intended to streamline recyclables handling.

The board voted to set brush-disposal fees at $25 per truck bed, $35 per trailer and $45 for both, after a public hearing in which transfer station staff described the labor and equipment costs involved in chipping brush. A transfer-station employee told the board that charging makes “perfect sense,” noting the expense of owning and maintaining a chipper and the labor required to operate it.

Board members and transfer-station staff said the fee is intended to offset labor and machinery costs rather than to be punitive. During the hearing, residents asked whether the fee could push illegal dumping to other locations; staff responded that leaving materials outside the station happens regardless of fees for other items and that the town must balance enforcement with operational costs.

In a separate update, Select Board members reported progress on a design for a recycling building at the transfer station. Town staff and consultants advised that there appears to be enough space near the existing brush pile for a roughly 20-by-60 building and a loading dock, plus a 40-by-40 area for containers to store bales prior to transport. The plan would require some site work, including tree removal and grading. Town officials said they are collecting details such as bale volumes and appropriate garage-door heights so the building can be put out to bid by the end of the year if funding allows.

The board did not change transfer-station operating hours as part of the vote. Officials said proceeds from the brush fees will be directed toward the transfer station's operating costs tied to brush processing. The board approved the fees by roll call vote.