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Published Friday, September 18, 2009 in Local

Collins wants to expand Weldon trash, recycling site

By Sarah Fay Campbell

The Times-Herald

Coweta Commissioner Randolph Collins wants to look into expanding the trash and recycling facility on Weldon Road.

The compactor site, which didn't offer recycling, was one of several closed on Jan. 1, 2007, as a way to reduce the county's costs for solid waste disposal.

The site was reopened as a full service compactor and recycling center in January 2008. Requests from the public, and the never-ending stream of garbage and junk that was dumped at the site anyway, led to it being reopened.

The site is now seeing even more use, Collins said.

"If I am correct, the site is actually on our right-of-way, and very much cramped. I would like to see something done," he said.

The Palmetto city limits are "quickly approaching the area," and the site may need to be moved to a different location, Collins said. Either way, it needs to be enlarged. "I know we are at budget time. I wanted to see if there is any potential to maybe increasing the current site," Collins said.

The Weldon Road site was brought up during continuing discussion on the lease for the Rising Star Road compactor site.

The county has been leasing the roughly one-acre site just outside Haralson since the early 1980s.

In July, the commissioners considered renewing the lease for the site; the vote was 2-2. County Administrator Theron Gay was directed to negotiate with the property owners for the sale of the property or to find another suitable location for the compactor site.

The issue was brought back before the commissioners this week.

"We didn't find anyone who is really interested in selling property nor anyone interested in leasing," Gay said.

The lease for the Rising Star Road site will have a "30-day exit" provision for the county and the property owners.

The lease is for $1,647 per year.

"Nobody wants to sell you a piece of road frontage, and then, later on, have to sell the rest of the land," said Chairman Paul Poole.

When it comes to property, the first 10 percent of the lot along the road is "worth 25 percent of the value," Gay said.

Collins said he doesn't want the county getting involved in land leases -- especially for a period of 30 years.

Even though the cost is less than $2,000 a year, since the site was originally leased, "we have paid for this thing multiple times."

When the county was first building the compactor stations, "there were a lot of people who didn't want" to have one on their land or near them, Poole said.

Commissioner Rodney Brooks asked what it would cost to relocate the site. It won't be cheap.

"When do you stop the bleeding?" Collins asked.

The county can continue to look at other sites, Gay said

"If there are people that are interested, on the southeast side of the county, let us know."

The lease was approved by a 4-1 vote, with Collins in opposition.

Brooks asked if the county has ever done a study on the costs of operating the compactor facilities.

A study was done, according to county staff members, and that is what led to the recommendation to close the five sites and increase the cost of garbage bags in late 2006.

Though there are many commercial garbage haulers operating in Coweta, "there are still quite a bit of people who utilize this," Gay said. "It's never going to be something you are really going to get into a situation of breaking even on."

The county does make a profit off recycling, and the construction and demolition landfill off Ishman Ballard Road, Gay said.

"For people who don't have a lot of garbage," the compactor sites really help, said Poole. And for people who recycle, they will end up with "many times" more recyclables than garbage.

Collins said he has spoken to someone who "wants us to do a mandated, county-wide recycling program."

In 2008, Cowetans recycled nearly 2.8 million pounds of aluminum, glass, paper, cardboard, and plastic through the compactor sites and the county's transfer station.

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