Sullivan County public works reports bridge and paving plans, airport fuel logistics and solid-waste operations; residents press care center HVAC concerns

Sullivan County public works staff told the Public Works Committee on Tuesday they are finishing this year's contracts and are planning several major projects for next year, including bridge replacements, contract paving, and airport infrastructure work.

Engineering staff said design is under way for a Beaverbrook Road bridge replacement in the town of Highland (County Bridge 77) and for a state-funded Bridge New York project to replace Bridge 82 in Forestburgh. The county plans a mix of spot repairs, overlays and preventative treatments: about 75 miles of contract striping, roughly 36 miles of chip sealing, 24 miles of crack sealing and approximately 354 miles of contract paving (as stated during the meeting).

Public works staff also said they intend to install roughly 20,000 feet of guide rail next year and continue a two-step approach of spot repairs followed by full overlays to let repairs settle. The airport terminal is enclosed and undergoing interior work; staff explained the county operates two aviation fuel trucks (a 3,000-gallon backup and a 5,000-gallon truck) and that trained personnel from an on-site organization sometimes operate the smaller truck during out-of-hours fueling.

On solid waste, staff reported continued use of Seneca Meadows under a one-year contract and said the county will likely issue bids in the next three to four months for longer-term arrangements (pending DEC permits and vendor responses). Cardboard prices and single-stream recycling rates were updated: staff said cardboard is being paid at $75 per ton for January and that single-stream hauling rates and treatment vary by vendor and month. The county has submitted updates to an O&M manual required by a DEC order on consent and expects a response, staff said.

Staff acknowledged one DEC litter violation at the landfill load-out area, noting snow and thaw conditions prevented routine litter cleanup when inspectors visited. The county also plans to expand paint-collection bins to transfer stations, cited as a recent DEC approval permitting expansion.

Several public commenters used the meeting to press unrelated facility concerns. A speaker who identified herself as a family council member at the county care center said the facility's second-floor meeting room was unheated and urged faster replacement of aging heating and air-conditioning units serving residents, visitors and staff. Building maintenance staff later told the committee they are replacing units they know have failed and that funding constraints limit immediate full replacement of all decades-old room units; Ryan Brown (staff contact referenced in the meeting) offered a phone number to report additional nonworking units so maintenance can prioritize repairs.

Operational updates also included fleet modernization: purchase and decals for new vehicles, roll-off trucks and plow trucks; an equipment auction that yielded about $44,000; and sign-shop work to implement a county domain change on vehicles.

The committee heard about composting grant work and a potential local composting partner not yet DEC-permitted, and staff said they will pursue permitting and grants to expand organics processing. Staff asked the committee to authorize a municipal cleanup program at current tonnage levels; they also reported that solid-waste applications and permit bond checks are being processed by the treasurer.

Ending: Committee members agreed to discuss several pending resolutions, including bridge and airport agreements, at the executive committee; staff will return with contract details, funding shares and draft agreements as those items progress.