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Select Board moves to plan new centralized transfer station; working group urges public information sessions
Summary
Waterville Valley officials and the municipal solid-waste working group outlined plans to centralize trash services at a redesigned transfer station, urged early outreach to condo associations and commercial haulers, and flagged transition costs, truck options and timeline uncertainties.
Waterville Valley’s select board and its municipal solid-waste working group spent the meeting mapping a transition from multiple dumpsters and haulers to a centralized transfer station operation and discussing how to ease the change for condo associations, businesses and residents.
The working group chair said the committee wants the town to lead public education efforts and recommended at least two information sessions this fall so residents and property managers can prepare. "We need to set up a date for the first public information session," the working-group chair said, urging clear outreach before any construction or billing changes.
Board members and staff described three customer categories that will shape the transition: commercial entities with private hauling contracts, single-family residents who currently use the transfer station, and condo associations that currently use town-owned dumpsters. Participants debated whether condo properties should be treated as single taxpayers or as associations for access and billing; one example noted a quarterly fee for condos of about $60.
Officials laid out near-term logistics: temporary large dumpsters or a laydown area off Tecumseh Road could be used during construction, and town staff will seek contractor input on whether the transfer station ramps and circulation can handle increased peak volume. The board also discussed a contingency for hauling if the town’s aging trash truck must be replaced or rented: staff presented a rental example of about $90,000 for 13 months and a shorter-term estimate of roughly $27,000 for three months.
The working group and board agreed the timing of public hearings should depend on receiving firm cost estimates from the engineer and haulers. "No sense having a meeting in August if we don't have numbers," a board member said, and the group confirmed the working-group schedule (next meetings July 21 and Aug. 11) to prepare a report for an August/September presentation and a fall public hearing.
Board members also considered operational details for the new site: covered single-stream recycling was proposed for worker safety and to avoid paying tipping fees on snow or water-laden loads; staff warned that dumpster replacements should be limited now because many existing containers are incompatible with the planned new system.
The working group asked the select board and town manager to lead outreach to condo associations and property managers and to provide a clear timeline and contact list so property leaders can obtain quotes and budget for private hauling if they choose that route. The group plans to return with numbers and a public-engagement plan before placing any construction warrant article before the town.
