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Valley County public works plans transfer-site upgrades as recycling and woody-debris volumes rise
Summary
Public-works staff outlined a timeline for transfer-site design and bidding, described planned temporary pads, scale and drainage improvements, and discussed options for managing growing woody-debris piles including grinding, hauling and a possible USDA grinder grant.
Valley County public-works staff told commissioners on Jan. 13 that the county is moving forward with a transfer-site improvement project and is grappling with growing volumes of woody debris and recycling that are straining current storage and processing capacity.
Dan, the county's public works engineer, said the county will publish a notice for the transfer-site project on Jan. 27 with bidding running until Feb. 21 and a bid opening scheduled for Feb. 24. He said a site meeting with potential bidders is planned for Feb. 11 so contractors can review the scope and perform walkthroughs.
"We're kinda moving forward with that. We still have some things we gotta work out, possibly DEQ and central district health," Dan said, describing planned work that includes pouring 10-foot-high retaining walls in the building, installing a new scale and a drainage pit, and temporarily creating an asphalt pad using eco blocks to allow public unloading and Lakeshore loading while the building floor work happens. He said the building may be down for six to eight weeks while floor and wall work is done.
Why it matters: staff said the site is reaching capacity for woody debris and other material, and the county needs both short-term temporary handling areas and longer-term processing improvements to avoid congestion and safety problems during peak months.
Woody-debris options discussed included grinding and hauling piles offsite, burning remaining material in staged operations, or relocating material to expand the pad. Commissioners and staff discussed the operational trade-offs: moving debris to the Lake Fork location would require hiring an attendant and installing a scale there, while hauling to Lakeshore may be impractical without specialized loaders. Staff said some piles may be on former landfill areas and recommended a survey to confirm property boundaries before expanding material storage onto adjacent parcels.
Dan said he and Ken Holland will pursue a USDA Forest Service grant opportunity to purchase a grinder and explore cooperative arrangements with Blaine County, which runs its own recycling and processing. He described a model in which the county would process recyclables itself, store cardboard until market prices improve, and arrange regular pickups from companies such as Pacific Steel for metal.
Commissioners asked staff to obtain bids for excavator hauling to level berms and to put a property survey into next year's budget. Staff characterized the transfer-site upgrades as a stopgap likely to buy about five years of capacity while the county continues longer-term planning for a larger processing solution.
No formal vote was required for the operational discussion; staff will return with estimated hauling bids, results of property-boundary surveys and updates on grant discussions.
