Fentress County preparing to replace the failing concrete floor at the South York Highway transfer station to ensure the continued movement of waste out of the county.
Fentress County Solid Waste Director Michael Rick said the project involves pouring two feet of new concrete on top of the existing floor and adding a new ramp. Rick said the facility has seen its capacity triple over the last five years, making the repairs essential for daily operations.
“We are literally just using sewer gravel to patch in the holes right now,” Rick said. “We have tried patching it with concrete in the past. However, without being able to tie that into the floor and the floor continuously failing, and those holes continuing to expand, at this point, we are going to have to have a new floor in it.”
During the construction of the new floor, Rick said his crew will either have to haul all the trash to Scott County, or set up a temporary transfer station. Rick said the new floor will cut down on repair costs which have been an issue for over a year.
“Without a transfer station, we can’t move any trash out of the county,” Rick said.
Rick said the project will include a new drainage system to improve hygiene at the facility. Rick said the current deterioration is likely caused by a combination of groundwater affecting the backfill and the original floor not being thick enough to handle constant vibrations.
“I know it’s an aggravation,” Rick said. “It’s certainly putting a wear and tear on our equipment. You know, with these holes and they keep putting gravel in them and the gravel keeps sinking. It definitely is frustrating. We stay very, very busy at our transfer station, so this, this just is an extra workload as well on top of daily operations.”
Rick said every piece of trash collected in Fentress County must pass through this single station before being loaded into semi-trailers for transport to the Scott County landfill. Rick said the county will open bids for the project on July 13.
Rick said the contractor will have approximately 45 days to complete the work once the Fentress County Commission approves a bidder.
“I encourage anyone that has any questions or just curious about it, come on out and I’d be more than happy to talk with them,” Rick said.
