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Lake County staff propose closing Fort Rock, Silver Lake transfer sites to cut costs
Summary
Lake County facilities staff proposed closing the Fort Rock and Silver Lake transfer sites on April 1, 2025, citing low usage and a daily county cost of about $300 versus average fee revenue of $50'$80; Christmas Valley would remain open Wednesday'Saturday and Commissioner James Williams plans local community meetings.
Facilities and Properties Manager David Berman told the Lake County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 21 that low Sunday usage and operating costs support closing the Fort Rock and Silver Lake transfer sites on April 1, 2025. Berman said the county has seen an average of six to eight users per Sunday at those sites since residential disposal fees were changed in April 2024, and that the county'borne cost to manage a staffed site is about $300 per day compared with average fees collected of $50 to $80 per day.
"We have been putting out flyers in the northern part of the county," Berman said, and staff who man the sites have been talking with residents about the proposed schedule change. He told commissioners the Christmas Valley transfer site could remain open Wednesdays through Saturdays to provide an option for residents in that region.
Commissioner James Williams said the change would save the county roughly $10,000 a year and said he intended to hold community meetings in Silver Lake and Fort Rock before the April implementation date. Williams told the board he would organize and conduct those meetings personally.
A local hauler suggested that private garbage companies place dumpsters at the transfer sites as an alternative. The hauler, identified in the record as the owner of Gary McCleese and Sons, asked whether dumpsters could be provided instead of county-run sites. Berman replied that the sites would still need attendants, explaining that without staff people sometimes discard items that are not permitted at the sites.
The proposal as presented is a recommendation to the board; the record shows no formal motion or vote at the Jan. 21 work session. The board did not set a final date for action during the meeting; staff and the commissioners flagged community outreach in Silver Lake and Fort Rock as a next step.
Implementation details raised in the discussion that remain to be decided include the final schedule for Christmas Valley, whether private-hauler dumpsters might be permitted and how attendant staffing would be handled if sites are consolidated.
