Upper Platte River Valley Solid Waste Disposal District (Landfill) Board chairman Randy Raymer was less than pleased with recycler Richard Hodges at their Aug. 6 meeting.
Raymer said Hodges’ absence was “duly noted” at Bullfest and the Saratoga Police Department’s National Night Out. Raymer said he was disappointed Hodges had not set up any recycling at either one of the events.
“Of all the time you take of mine, regarding recycling, that you were not present or didn’t have anything available to put recycling in [at those events,” Raymer said. “Are you waiting for a personal invitation to those events?”
Hodges said he was “out of step” at Bullfest, and he should have been there. Hodges said he discussed the night out with Saratoga police chief Tom Knickerbocker, and they had reportedly agreed the Platte Valley Community Center, where the Night Out was held, had six containers in the building. However, Hodges said he did not “follow up or take care of it personally” and regretted it.
Raymer said he personally helped clean up at the Bullfest until 11:30 p.m. that night.
“I can’t personally tell you how many beer bottles and beer cans we put in the dumpster,” Raymer said. “And we were sorely missing the recycling bins.”
Hodges said he needs to makes sure he gets better organized in preparation for events like these.
In May, the landfill board submitted a State Land Investment Board (SLIB) loan request to build a transfer station for the Platte Valley’s waste. However, the landfill board’s request for a $375,000 loan was denied at a SLIB hearing because they did not have the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), as their accounting format.
Because a majority of municipalities and waste district did not have GAAP, and were denied SLIB either, Raymer said there is currently legislation in place to change the GAAP requirement.
“There are draft changes proposed to use a different formula with the maximum amount of money, with us serving under 4,000 people, we are probably going to be able to get full funding either through a grant, or a loan they would pay back,” Raymer said.
Whether or not they get the SLIB loan makes about a $100,000 difference in what they put in themselves.
The Landfill board is waiting until legislation goes through. If approved, the landfill board can start construction in the spring of 2015. Craig Kopatz, an engineer with PMPC, is working on preliminary designs and numbers for the transfer station. For most of meeting, landfill board members reviewed some of the preliminary designs.
The next landfill board meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Sept 3 at the Encampment Library.
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