New Refuse Agreement Likely

DAYTON—The City of Dayton and Columbia County have entered into talks with Basin Disposal, Inc. to develop a plan for BDI to process refuse at the transfer station in Dayton.

The county has also been discussing whether to repair the old facility, or to build a new one, after a fire at the transfer facility in July, 2015 destroyed most of its equipment and seriously damaged the integrity of the main building.

Darrick Dietrich, president of BDI, and Dayton Mayor Craig George were on hand at the County Commissioners’ regular meeting last week to discuss the idea of bringing BDI on as the new hauler/processor.

Dietrich said that the city has the majority of the county’s population, but because the county owns the transfer facility, it would be best to create a partnership among the three parties, in order to create balance on all sides, spread the risk, and create long-term stability.

Commissioner Dwight Robanske pointed out that the current cost for hauling refuse to the Pasco facility is around $25,000. He said that money could be saved by depositing refuse locally.

Dietrich agreed, and said that because he is in control of a very large waste stream in the region, he could use that leverage to get lower disposal rates for the customer.

“I would take it over and do a very good job of it,” said Dietrich.

Dietrich said a partnership would be beneficial in the long run, especially if the city wants to add additional services like curbside recycling.

Dietrich has looked at the engineering design for a new transfer station with County Engineer Andrew Woods, and he said he likes what he sees.

The only drawback is that his trailers need 13 ½ foot opening, and the design is for a thirteen foot opening, he said.

Woods said that he would go back to the drawing board with JUB, the engineering firm, so that plans can be modified to create the needed opening height for the BDI’s trailers.

The cost for building a new facility is around $750,000, according to Woods.

Woods said the county can expect to be reimbursed $350,000 from its insurance company for damages from the fire. That amount coupled with another $350,000 from the state rural excise tax for capital projects, gives the county the capital to build a new facility, he said.

“We need to do it correctly,” Chairman Merle Jackson said. “Time is of the essence.”

Woods agreed. “We can move forward on the building, itself, while working on this,” he said.

Mayor George said he will take the numbers to the Dayton City Council for review.

All three parties have agreed to meet in June to continue their talks.