Barre Board of Health Accepts Transfer Station Contract, Defers In-House Takeover One Year

BARRE -- April 9, 2018, Barre Board of Health votes to extend its transfer station contract one year while studying a potential municipal takeover. The board voted unanimously April 9 to accept the renewal from its current private operator, deferring a move to in-house DPW management that backers say could generate $100,000 to $200,000 annually for the town. A DPW representative put a full-time employee cost at roughly $65,000 and argued that separating paper from cardboard alone could recover significant commodity revenue, while the board's solid waste consultant, a former officer of Waste Systems International with four decades in the field, warned that the facility's site assignment restricts waste to Barre residents and businesses only, DEP prohibits storing recyclables beyond 60 days, and a newly fragmented property boundary around the site poses unresolved operational risks. Board members are planning a site visit to Groton's transfer station as a model for small-scale municipal operation.