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Tazewell supervisors approve Schnabel design contract for new landfill leachate tank, keep inspection contract on hold
Summary
After an executive session, the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors approved a $94,000 contract with Schnabel Engineering to design a new leachate tank and authorized the firm to proceed; the board also approved a $224,000 inspection contract but did not authorize it to begin work. Staff said the tank is needed because the current tank is undersized and hauling costs to West Virginia are expensive.
The Tazewell County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 9 approved a $94,000 design contract with Schnabel Engineering to plan a new landfill leachate tank and authorized the firm to proceed, following an executive (closed) session for contract negotiations. The board also approved a separate $224,000 contract for construction inspection but voted explicitly not to authorize Schnabel to begin that inspection work at this time.
County staff told the board the existing leachate storage is about 30 years old and cannot hold the growing volume of leachate at the county landfill. Without expanded on‑site storage, the county has been hauling leachate offsite; staff reported a recent invoice of $77,000 to haul leachate to Bluefield, West Virginia, where disposal currently costs about $0.20 per gallon compared with an estimated $0.01 per gallon treatment cost if discharged and treated more slowly through the Tazewell plant. Project planning estimates presented to the board put the new tank, engineering, permitting and site work at roughly $2.125 million.
County financial advisers told supervisors borrowing options could range from $2 million to $5 million to cover the tank and other capital needs; staff recommended adopting a reimbursement resolution so any county spending on design or permitting before a borrow could be reimbursed from bond or loan proceeds if the board later commits to borrowing. The board approved that reimbursement resolution at the meeting.
Supervisor 7 moved the Schnabel design contract and the motion carried. After the meeting, the board also discussed applying for a $500,000 state grant (DHCD) for leachate‑tank construction and noted the county had previously sought congressional funding.
The design and permitting timeline discussed at the meeting indicates a roughly six‑month permitting window with the state DEQ, suggesting construction would not start before the following spring. The board directed staff to pursue geotechnical and permitting work and to include the project in any future borrowings or grant applications.
The board will hold additional public hearings on the DHCD grant application in mid‑month and in October to satisfy grant advertising requirements and to receive public comment before committing construction funding.
