Floyd County supervisors on July 8 approved the next design and early construction steps for the county landfill and planned transfer station.

Assistant solid‑waste staff told the board the county received two bids for a grading plan and selected Lumsden & Associates for $34,000. The board voted unanimously to award the contract and authorized county staff to sign the necessary paperwork. Staff said the grading plan covers a land disturbance of about 1.5 acres and will be used to solicit construction bids once the plan is complete and approved.

Separately, county staff reported a proposal from contractor Michael Short to install utilities and conduit to the tipping‑house area — work needed to run water, electrical service and sewer/hydrant access to the new facility. The price presented was $13,000 for conduit/labor; the board approved starting that work and authorized the county to move forward with initial site construction.

Staff and supervisors also discussed state erosion and stormwater rules administered by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Two paths were presented: build a stormwater treatment/settlement basin on site or purchase off‑site water‑quality credits to meet DEQ requirements. County staff cited two numbers in the discussion: $22,024 and, in a separate notation, $24,800 as the approximate 1‑time cost to buy credits from a mitigation bank; staff said building and maintaining an on‑site pond could cost substantially more and would require ongoing maintenance and testing. The board asked staff to continue analyzing the cost and long‑term maintenance consequences and to report back.

Board members pressed for clarity on the total projected project cost if grading, utilities, a tipping house and surfacing are included; staff estimated a ballpark figure of roughly $120,000–$130,000 for the complete tipping‑house and site work, but said grading and design must be finished before firm construction bids can be solicited.

What the board approved
- Award Lumsden & Associates the landfill grading‑plan contract for $34,000 and authorize signatures to finalize the contract.
- Accept a contractor proposal to begin utilities/conduit and initial construction at an estimated $13,000 and allow the work to proceed.

Next steps and follow up
County solid‑waste staff will forward the executed grading‑plan contract to procurement, finish the design, then take the project out to bid for construction. Staff will continue discussions with DEQ on stormwater compliance and report estimated lifetime maintenance obligations for any on‑site measures; the board requested a clear comparison of buying credits versus building a pond before authorizing larger construction commitments.

Speakers at the item included assistant solid‑waste staff (identified in the packet as Mark), contractor Michael Short (price presenter), and several board supervisors.