Three municipalities are pitching in to ensure a facility that collects yard waste and excess garbage in Black Diamond can continue operating.
Turner Valley Town council agreed at its regular March 16 meeting to pay a third of the $50,000 needed to improve the MD of Foothills’ 20-year-old transfer station located just outside of Black Diamond.
The request for funding came from the MD to help pay for an office for the station worker, concrete pads at the bins to prevent trucks from sinking in the ground and repairs to collapsing walls.
“In the long term going forward we don’t believe it’s the best situation that we have out there and it’s causing concerns with respect to hauling the bins out and people backing up to dump into the bins,” said Harry Riva-Cambrin, the MD of Foothills municipal manager. “It’s not a good situation for (the caretaker) either. They are sitting in their vehicle all day long.”
Turner Valley coun. Barry Crane was the first to respond to the request when it came to council last week.
“They need a lot of work done over there,” he said, adding the issue was recently brought up at the intermunicipal joint steering committee meeting. “The OHS is creeping up as an issue.”
With Black Diamond Town council agreeing to fund a third of the cost towards the improvements during a council meetings last month, Crane said it falls on the Town of Turner Valley to fall in line.
“I think it’s a service that’s used quite often,” he said. “It’s great for citizens. It saves a lot of gas, lots of travel, lots of time. It’s an excellent resource for residents in the area.”
To gauge use of the facility, an online survey was posted on Black Diamond and Turner Valley’s websites for about two weeks in January.
Of the 107 people who responded, 78 reside in Black Diamond, 25 in Turner Valley and four from the MD. Most who commented viewed the site as a much-needed asset in the community while some didn’t know it existed, some felt its hours of operation are too limiting and others felt taxpayers’ money could be better spent.
Barry Williamson, Turner Valley’s chief administrative officer, said he felt the Town could have used more information before making a decision on whether or not to contribute financially to the improvements.
“It ended up being more of a qualitative survey than a quantitative one,” he said. “I didn’t feel we had enough information to bring to council.”
Williamson said the MD of Foothills provided a breakdown of the capital project in an email following the council meeting and the three municipalities will meet this week, at which time the Town will request a proper service agreement to explain what the money is being used for and how the facility will be operated.
He said he would like something put in place to monitor who is using the facility and for what purpose.
“That way we can verify going forward if you want us to be a third there is some data to support that,” he said.
Coun. Dona Fluter agreed, adding she would be interested to see the statistics as she feels the transfer station is mostly for MD residents to bring their bagged garbage.
“We are not supposed to be taking our garbage there, only clippings,” she said. “Not that I don’t agree we should pay our share, but I would like to see residents-wise how much we are using it.”
Coun. Lane Park said residents can take their garbage to the station, but they would have to purchase an MD bag. He added the transfer station is a great way to keep garbage and yard waste out of ditches.
Crane recommended administration suggest a survey be done at the site to determine who is using the transfer station.
The Towns’ response to the MD of Foothills’ request for the three-municipality partnership will be brought to the MD’s April 1 council meeting, said Riva-Cambrin.
“With them being partners in this it’s likely that council will agree to proceed,” he said. “I’m sure there will be some happy people out there. We had some phone calls with concerns that it might shut down.”
Yard waste collected at the transfer station is transported to the Foothills Regional Landfill and a compost fee is charged to both towns based on tonnage.
In recent years, the transfer station collects about 100 tons of leaves, branches and grass clippings annually, and about 30 tons of garbage.
The transfer station operates April to October on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from November to April on Fridays and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
