Cost to dump old oil to increase at landfill
The price to take reclaimed oil to the Barton County Landfill has gone up following action by the County Commission Monday morning.
The commission approved a revision of the solid waste disposal fees regarding oil reclamation sludge at the Barton County Landfill. From time to time, landfill management reviews rates to determine if the cost of disposal is adequate to cover operation and closing costs, Solid Waste Director Phil Hathcock said. After a recent review, it was suggested that the sludge be added at a cost of $58 per ton.
This product, while not hazardous, is a “gummy mess” and requires special handling by landfill staff including immediate burial of the material in a special area of the facility, Hathcock said. “It has to be treated separately from the normal trash stream.”
The change will bring the disposal cost of this material in line with asbestos and other items that require special handling, he said.
Up until now, the landfill has only dealt with this sludge coming from Barton County. However, Hathcock said he’s been contacted by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment about an operation in Plainville that is looking for a dump site.
In other action Monday, the commission:
• Approved the purchase of a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan from Dove Chevrolet for $11,990 for the Juvenile Services Department. The department accepted bids for a new or used mini-van until Sept. 7 and received four bids from Barton County dealers. Included with the purchase is the trade of a 2006 Ford Focus and a 2008 Pontiac G6. The bid requested that the vehicle be in good mechanical condition with 25,000 miles or less, said Assistant Director Mike Daniel.
Daniel said the money to make the purchase comes from state funds, not county taxes.
The Barton County Commission Monday morning accepted a bid to replace a dilapidated historic limestone bridge and widen to other existing structures, all in the northeastern part of the county.
The County Engineer’s Office accepted bids for the replacement of Bridge 650, the native stone bridge three miles north of Beaver on NE 60 Avenue, with a concrete box, and the widening of two existing concrete box culverts near the intersection of NE 60 Avenue and NE 140 Road north of Redwing.
With two bids received, the low bidder was Reece Construction Company Inc., Scandia, with a bid of $129,841.60, said County Engineer Barry McManaman. This was the proposal approved Monday.
McManaman said the firm will start on the expansion project first, probably Oct. 12.
Once that is done, work will move the replacement project in early November, he said. Prior to that, at the end of October, the Road and Bridge Department will close NE 60 Avenue so crews can tear out the bridge.
After the County became involved with the Wetlands and Wildlife National Scenic Byway, several Works Progress Administration native-stone bridges in the northern part of the County were placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
However, Bridge 650 is in an advanced state of deterioration and needs to be replaced, McManaman reported earlier.
McManaman applied for a construction permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in February. This would allow for the removal and replacement of the woebegone limestone bridge.
But, as a part of this process, federal requirements for mitigating the loss of a historic structure must be met, he said. The commission in June approved signing a memorandum of agreement stipulating the documentation of 650 and the maintaining and preserving the remaining native stone bridges that are listed on the national registry.
There were initially seven stone bridges built as part of the WPA in the early 1940s that were listed as national landmarks. A few years back, two were replaced for similar reasons.
With the replacement of Bridge 650, there will now be four of the structures remaining. These are in better condition.
