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Martinsville transfer station to reopen after compactor failure; city plans cashless modernization
Summary
Public works reported a nearly two‑week transfer station outage caused by a failed hydraulic cylinder; staff expect the compactor repaired and the site reopened midweek and described plans to relocate the scale and implement an automated, cashless ticketing system by this fall.
Public works staff told the Martinsville Common Council on June 8 that the city’s transfer station has been closed for nearly two weeks after a hydraulic cylinder on the compactor — originally installed in 2001 — failed and required a rebuild.
"We have been down for almost two weeks. There are two hydraulic cylinders on our compactor... the pusher… simply blew," Mister Dunn said, describing the age of the compactor and the repair timeline. He said crews expected the compactor repaired and the facility reopened Wednesday if parts and schedule aligned.
Dunn outlined plans to modernize the transfer station: relocate the scale into a new small building, install a new scale and integrate an automated ticketing system that will generate electronic tickets when vehicles dump. He said the city intends to move toward a cashless operation once the new scale and computer system are in place and hoped to implement that change this fall.
Council members asked about timing and whether the cashless plan would start immediately upon reopening; Dunn said reopening would occur before the cashless program begins and that the city was still studying the specific scale and ticketing systems to select.
No formal council action was required; staff will continue work with the current hauler, Rumpke, during the implementation and present further details as plans progress.
