Tamworth Select Board directs design of 60x60 recycling building and moves to bid truck scale

The Tamworth Select Board voted on Aug. 22 to move forward with design work for a 60-by-60-foot recycling building at the town transfer station and to develop a bid package for a truck scale, part of a multiyear effort to expand local recycling and bring additional revenue to the town.

Speaker 2, who moved the motion to direct Sanborn Head to design the 60-by-60 building, said the design work will allow the board to seek firm construction bids and then decide whether to build once costs are clear. "I make a motion that we direct Sanborn Head to design a 60 by 60 foot recycling building and work with us to fit it out so we know what it will cost," Speaker 2 said during the meeting.

The board discussed several cost scenarios during an extended presentation by Speaker 6, who summarized recommendations from the Transfer Station Improvement Committee (TCIC). The committee recommended attaching an ADA-compliant bathroom to the current compactor building, modifying the septic design, building a new recycling structure sized for two vertical bailers with room for a future horizontal baler, buying baling equipment for cardboard, plastics OCC 1–7 and aluminum, removing outdated tin-can and aluminum-crushing equipment, and—if funding allows—installing a truck scale. Speaker 6 gave equipment and site estimates, including an equipment subtotal of $164,000 and a truck-scale cost estimate of $120,000, noting that total figures depend on final bids.

Debate focused on staffing, equipment choices and how the town might recoup costs. Board members compared Tamworth's projected budgets to neighboring towns, noting Ashland's transfer-station budget of roughly $186,000 and higher recycling revenue in some peers. Speaker 6 said conservative assumptions (for example doubling estimated electricity) were used in the operational model; he estimated that, on the model presented, recycling revenues could offset increased operating costs and reduce the transfer-station budget from about $301,000 to $290,000 under the assumptions shown.

After discussion, the board approved the motion to commission the 60-by-60 design (recorded in the meeting transcript as passing by a 4–1 roll-call). Speaker 2 then moved a second action to develop a truck-scale bid package in-house. The board discussed procurement options and local contractor involvement, and the motion passed in roll-call voting (the transcript records a majority in favor).

Next steps: the board will receive the Sanborn Head design and cost estimates and will solicit bids before making a final decision to construct. The meeting packet and the TCIC recommendation document (dated Aug. 22) will be used to inform the design and bid specifications. The board also discussed staging options (indoor bale storage vs. trailers) and the possibility of pooling loads with nearby towns to improve trucking economics.

The vote to advance design work does not obligate the town to build; the board agreed that the final construction decision will follow receipt of bids and a formal appropriation or funding confirmation. No construction contract was awarded at the meeting.

Authorities and motions: the TCIC recommendations presented at the meeting formed the basis of the motions. The design motion was moved by Speaker 2 and approved by roll call; a second motion to develop a truck-scale bid package was also moved by Speaker 2 and approved. The board recorded roll-call votes for both motions and multiple administrative actions later in the meeting.

The Select Board will return the design to a future meeting with cost estimates and recommended next steps for public consideration.