Adams County solid waste staff report equipment fixes, project updates, training plans and budget snapshot

Adams County solid waste staff reported several operations and capital updates at the meeting following approval of the agenda and minutes.

Ruben, a solid waste staff member, said the county completed a tanker modification on March 3 that added baffles to the vent to reduce sloshing during transport. “So that is the modification that we did,” he said. He also summarized ongoing coordination with partner agencies on site projects and a 10-year plan for a butterfly garden at the facility developed with the county’s Land and Water and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; under the plan, the county solid waste department would mow and provide pre-application herbicide treatment for its area of responsibility.

Nate, who oversees equipment maintenance, reported multiple equipment issues and repairs. He said a loader suffered an injector and fuel-pump failure and that warranty claims are open. He said a newer Bomag roller shows hydraulic oil entering the gearbox and is out of service, and that a new alternator for another unit would cost about $5,100. Nate also noted new GPS units installed on side-arm, roll-off and semi equipment and said staff expect the GPS video and time-stamped data to speed incident review and reduce staff time spent extracting footage.

Ruben described a plan to pursue improved compaction techniques and operator training after a recent visit to Marathon County’s landfill. He said the county is researching pancake compaction and other methods to extend cell life and that outside vendors or trainers could be hired for operator instruction. He also described a future option to purchase a global navigation and mapping system to pair with drone imagery for live compaction feedback and on-site topographic mapping; Ruben gave a cost range for such equipment between about $1,200 and $15,000 depending on configuration.

Staff updates and programs: Ruben said staff were unable to secure Clean Sweep funding this year and will reapply next year. He also said the county provided tonnage figures to an ADC (alternate daily cover) vendor for processing glass but that approval from the vendor was pending. Jason, the recycling lead referenced in the meeting, was reported to be working with IT to bring more operations in-house.

Financial snapshot: Kyle, a county finance staff member, said the Solid Waste Department was “roughly $40,000 to the good” through Feb. 28 but showed a current-month loss of approximately $117,000, which he attributed in part to timing differences tied to municipal contract prepayments.

Why it matters: The updates cover maintenance and capital investments that affect landfill service continuity and the expected useful life of active cells. Equipment downtime, training and mapping investments could reduce long-term costs; the missed Clean Sweep grant will delay a community hazardous-waste collection event to next year.

Next steps: Staff plan to continue warranty work, pursue compaction training options, follow up on glass ADC approval, reapply for Clean Sweep funding next year, and monitor the financial position. Supervisors set the next meeting for April 8 at 4:00 p.m.

Ending: The meeting moved to scheduling the next session after the reports and then adjourned.