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.