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Georgetown solid-waste committee reviews budget, readies May HHW collection and addresses Transfer Station safety
Summary
At its April 10 meeting the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Committee approved minutes, reviewed year-to-date spending (hauling costs at $68,788.80, about 60% of budget), confirmed a May 3 HHW collection in Bath with pre-registration on April 14, and discussed Transfer Station staffing, safety and maintenance plans.
Georgetown’s Solid Waste Management Committee approved its minutes and reviewed operational and fiscal items at a brief meeting held remotely on April 10, 2025.
Jim Coombs, Transfer Station manager, reviewed a NorthCoast invoice for $222.03 and approved payment. Committee members then examined year-to-date finances through March 31: the solid-waste hauling line stands at $68,788.80, about 60% of the annual budget, and other line items were described as appropriate.
Karren Cowing, a committee member, said the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) line is likely to exceed the current allotment once the May collection occurs but noted a $2,000 contingency fund that should cover the overrun. The committee confirmed that Georgetown’s HHW collection will take place May 3 at the Bath Department of Public Works, with pre-registration beginning April 14; Alison Freeman will represent Georgetown at the Bath event and said she will collect any hazardous materials left illegally at the Transfer Station. Freeman said she will post a poster at the Transfer Station and copy a revised brochure on the HHW information sheet.
Operations at the Transfer Station were described in the minutes as largely routine: the record states, “no news is good news.” Coombs reported a new substitute employee who has received most of a day’s training and a volunteer with about a half-day of training. Committee members discussed safety and maintenance: Alison Freeman reminded staff that the lock out–tag out procedure must be completed before accessing the compactor rail bar, citing a video review in which an employee entered the compactor and may not have followed the procedure. Ole Jaeger asked whether compactor maintenance had been conducted this year; Coombs said it had not and that he would arrange service (the last maintenance was in April 2024). David Polito reported that an electrician will repair damaged conduit on April 17.
The committee also discussed site upkeep: pothole repairs are planned for April or May, after which directional lines will be repainted using asphalt paint, and Dale Savoie indicated interest in mowing the old landfill. Members noted that metals still need pickup and that rigid plastics are now being accepted for recycling.
On smaller community items, Karren Cowing asked about outlets for donated baby toys and supplies following the closure of Buy Low Baby; members suggested local thrift shops such as Hatch on Main (96 Main Street), Sweet Repeats and Oddz N’ Endz (220 Bath Rd., Brunswick) as possible options.
The committee scheduled its next regular meeting for Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. Sharon Trabona moved and Alison Freeman seconded adjournment; the motion passed unanimously.
Actions recorded in the minutes include the unanimous approval of the minutes and the unanimous motion to adjourn. Detailed individual vote records were not included in the meeting minutes.
