No new recycling or trailer for transfer station

The Regional Board of Mayors discussed adding a new trailer at the Delano Transfer Station, and recycling, but didn’t act on either issue Monday.

Randy Gumm, manager of the transfer station, had asked that the mayors consider purchasing another trailer. One new trailer was purchased last year for about $90,000.

Currently, the transfer station has the new trailer, a second trailer that had $9,000 repairs to it last November, and a third that is in poor condition.

Gumm brought up the need for another new trailer at the group’s last meeting, only to learn that the RBOM’s had not budgeted it for 2017. He didn’t attend Monday’s meeting to support his request.

The mayors were less than enthusiastic in their deliberations and it was summed up by Electric City’s Mayor John Nordine II, when he stated, “If we get another new trailer now, next year he (Gumm) will want a new truck.”

The discussion centered on whether the three present trailers would hold up for this year so that another trailer could be ordered under the 2018 budget.

Donna Deckman, secretary to the RBOM, stated that the life of a trailer is “about 10 years.”

Coulee Dam Mayor Greg Wilder, who chairs the group, said he has had several people question him again about a recycling program. Recycling has come up at the mayors’ meeting several times before.

This time Wilder asked if there was any interest in discussing it again. Nordine said he wasn’t interested, Elmer City Mayor Gail Morin concurred, and Grand Coulee Mayor Paul Townsend agreed that there wasn’t interest in a full-scale recycling program.

“People talk about recycling,” Morin said, “but no one wants to pay for it.”

Russell Powers, Electric City’s deputy clerk, pointed out that there are several places in the area where certain things can be recycled. (See separate story in this week’s Star.)