Waste may head back to valley site

It appears that the provincial government is again reconsidering where to put the interim waste disposal site for the southwest coast.

Melvin Keeping, Port aux Basques town manager, said he received a call from a government official asking how the town would feel if the decision to use the town's incinerator site was reversed and the location moved back to the Codroy Valley.

The news was met by raised eyebrows and looks of disbelief from the councillors at the town's regular council meeting on Nov. 19.

A consultant's study into where the interim waste disposal site should be located originally named the Doyles dumpsite as the preferred location. After public protest about the choice from some residents of the valley, the province opted to study the suitability of the Port aux Basques incinerator site.

That study was completed a few months ago and determined the location was suitable to use for landfilling the waste from all southwest coast communities until the regional supersite becomes operations in an estimated seven years. The site was to be used as the area transfer site once the regional facility opened.

Mr. Keeping said the government official told him the change back to a Codroy Valley location was being considered due to costs. Consultants estimated the cost to prepare the Port aux Basques site at $600,000.

The town manager suggested Port aux Basques should be part of those discussions, unless the true reason behind the change was political.

"I don't want to go down this road again," said Mayor Brian Button. "We need to get the politicians out of it and get it done."

"Four years ago we were being lectured by the department to get our act together. We did that but we still seem to be going in circles," he said.

The latest hiccup occurred at a recent meeting between all the involved southwest coast communities, which was also attended by government representatives.

It was there the town received its first indication that the province was not going to proceed according to the plan the councillors through was in place. The change hinted at was that the interim site may not end up being used as the long-term transfer site.

Port aux Basques council raised concerns that planning for two different sites would involved more money and mean that the process of site selection would have be done all over again in only a few years.

A spokesperson for the Department of Municipal Affairs said no decision has been made on the landfill or transfer sites. The spokesperson added that discussions between the department, Port aux Basques town council and the sub-regional committee are ongoing.

Coun. Rick Farrell compared the issue to a "rubber ball, bouncing back and forth."

Test run

Mr. Keeping also informed councillors that town staff collected garbage in Burnt Islands the previous week as a pilot run.

The town manager said the test was done at the request of the Town of Burnt Islands and went well. He said it took town staff about three hours to collect the garbage throughout the town.

There were several spots too tight for Port aux Basques' garbage truck to fit, but garbage boxes could be moved to adapt to the adjusted route required by the larger vehicle.

Mr. Keeping said routes and scheduled in Port aux Basques would have to be adjusted to accommodate regular collection in Burnt Islands. He said no decision can really be made until the site for the interim site is chosen and Port aux Basques can confirm its own plans and requirements.

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