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Georgetown committee moves to enforce transfer-station permits, plans new signs after busy summer
Summary
After a busy summer at the Transfer Station, the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Committee agreed to pursue stronger permit-sticker enforcement, outreach checks, and new signage; members also supported considering an ordinance change to make landlords responsible for short‑term renter trash access.
Georgetown’s Solid Waste Management Committee said it will pursue stronger enforcement of Transfer Station permit stickers and update worn signage after members described heavy summer traffic and operational concerns.
David Polito, committee member, told colleagues that on a recent day staff asked 15 people whether they had stickers and that “about 80% had no sticker,” an observation he described as a likely enforcement gap affecting safety and operations. Committee members discussed options ranging from targeted sticker checks to ordinance changes that would limit short-term renters’ access to the Transfer Station.
Jim Coombs, Transfer Station manager, described a busy summer with irregular pickups for metals and returnables and noted operational pressure when vendors miss scheduled collections. Bronwen Tudor, the Selectman representative, proposed running a permit-sticker check on a Saturday next season with advance notice and coordinating with the Town Office so legitimate residents could obtain stickers that day.
Kate Toner, the committee’s newest member, offered to design and procure replacement signs for the Transfer Station and estimated the project would cost about $500. The committee agreed it would need to decide placement and removal of existing signage.
Alison Freeman reviewed security-camera footage and told the committee that traffic patterns showed intermittent peaks and lulls; she said extending summer hours to 5:00 p.m. was unlikely to address the underlying traffic clustering, and the committee declined to change summer hours.
Members discussed pursuing an ordinance amendment to make landlords responsible for trash from short-term renters; the committee expressed general support for exploring that change but did not take a formal vote on an ordinance at the meeting.
The committee requested that the Select Board send a letter asking contractor Craig Rogers to close the gate behind him when dropping off or picking up containers to prevent unauthorized entry and to clarify any compensation for his time. The committee plans outreach and a pilot sticker-check day next summer.
The committee adjourned at the close of the meeting; no public comment was received.
