Magistrates agree to get bids for new landfill compactor, buy new garbage truck
From left, Magistrates Jerry Hahn, Jeff Lear, Bernard Ice, Sam Hutchins, Keith Metcalfe and Judge Executive Dean Watts.
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, July 18, 2017 — After discussing the matter over the past few weeks, Nelson Fiscal Court decided Tuesday to buy a new compactor to replace the one lost to fire earlier this year at the Nelson County Landfill.
Magistrate Sam Hutchins asks questions during a discussion about the county’s plans to purchase a replacement trash compactor for the county-owned landfill.
The court’s equipment and grounds committee met Tuesday morning to decide whether to recommend the purchase a used compactor or a new one. A new compactor will cost upwards of $700,000, depending on the specifications and options.
The landfill lost a compactor to fire when a hydraulic hose burst. Trash packed under the compactor helped fuel the fire. The county will apply approximately $120,000 in insurance proceeds to the purchase of the replacement compactor.
The court approved advertising for bids for a CAT 826k compactor with options for a fire suppression system. The new compactor will be heavier than the landfill’s past compactors. John Greenwell, the county’s solid waste coordinator, said the heavier unit will do a better job compacting garbage and add to the landfill’s useful life.
The court also approved advertising for a new garbage truck. The new truck will be equipped with a garbage tipper that will be able to pick up the larger trash cans and dump them without the operators needed to life them manually.
The court also approved the purchase of an additional tipper for an existing garbage truck that lacks one.
In other action, the court:
— approved adding Simon Greenwell Road to the road paving list. The road is in Magistrate Keith Metcalfe’s district.
— approved bids for police interceptor SUVs from Conway-Heaton at $31,944 per vehicle. Two will be paid for by the court, and two others will be paid for out of the Nelson County Sheriff’s budget.
— approved a bid for dental insurance for county employees. The new provider, Dental Care Group, represents a 5 percent rate increase. The new rate is locked in for two years, Judge Executive Dean Watts told the court. A new dental insurance provider was sought when the existing insurer presented the court with an 18 percent rate increase.
— approve re-appointing David Sutherland to the Nelson County Air Board. Watts told the court he is still working on an appointment to an open position on the Human Rights Commission.
NEXT UP. Nelson Fiscal Court next meets at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017, in the Fiscal Court meeting room on the second floor of the Old Courthouse.
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