Halifax County commissioners today agreed to continue talks with Roanoke Rapids on joining them on the solid waste transfer station proposal.
Representatives from both governments are scheduled to have another meeting on the matter, County Manager Tony Brown told commissioners. "They are interested in meeting again in June."
Board Chairman James Pierce said the county is approaching a timeline where critical decisions have to be made on the matter. The county's contract with Waste Industries expires in 2013. "We need to put together a plan to make it happen ... We've got to do it with or without Roanoke Rapids."
Commissioner Rives Manning said it was important that commissioners make a decision on whether to continue talks with the city. "Some of the commissioners (council members) there are still misunderstood on where we stand."
The city is considering the following sites, although a partnership with the county could change that:
Highway 158 off Deep Creek Road, the old landfill site, which contains 10 acres of land the city owns. Early evaluation lists this as the top site although there are wetlands issues and the soil must be examined.
The industrial area behind Kennametal, a 30 acre parcel, which has access issues and would possibly need road improvements.
Highway 158 at the old airport opposite the former Harley-Davidson dealership. This site is 50 acres and the biggest issue is sewer.
In a recent memo to council, Bill Dreitzler of ms consultants wrote none of the sites need to be rezoned but would require conditional use permits, which do require public hearings.
The Deep Creek Road site, however, would require a roadway, which is estimated to cost $260,000 and $40,000 for water extension.
The industrial area in the Becker Industrial Park would require an access road estimated to cost $39,000.
The site near the old airport is in what Dreitzler described as a fairly residential area in which subdividing is not an option. “The city would have to buy the entire property.”
These three locations were narrowed down from seven finalists. While cost estimates for the transfer station are between $700,000 to $750,000, land acquisition costs remain unknown.
According to a memo from City Manager Paul Sabiston to city council, the initial projections for revenues and expenses are based on a total volume 28,000 tons of solid waste per year.
The city’s own residential solid waste and debris accounts for approximately 7,200 tons per year, the remainder an estimate of the commercial waste in the city, the memo says.
The city estimates an increase in revenues over expenses with a transfer station of $102,071 to $282,814. “This gain in annual net income is greater than the original memorandum provided to you as a result of the interest rate for a loan has dropped from 4 percent to the new market rate of 3.05 percent and the term of the loan for the repayment of the facility was extended from 10 years to 20 years in accord with traditional loan terms for such facilities,” the memo states.
