Green box site closure attempt failed once before

Efforts to close the green box sites across Flathead County were originally attempted and failed in the 1990s.

Much like the incident from 20 years ago, public outcry has been to keep the sites open.

But, some of those backing the proposal and citizens opposing it, didn’t know this scuffle has happened before.

This proposal would close the site on Montana 83 in Bigfork as well as the site in Lakeside.

County Public Works Director Dave Prunty and Solid Waste Board Chairman Hank Olson didn’t know it because it all happened before they began working with the county.

Bigfork’s unofficial spokesman for keeping the green box site, Paul Mutascio, was also unaware that history is repeating itself.

Back in 1994 and presently, county officials have said the sites needed to be closed to conform with state environmental law, but they confirmed last week that’s not the case.

However, it was originally revealed in October 1994 that these regulations were not required for the green box sites, just the county landfill near Whitefish and last week Prunty said the law remains the same.

“Absolutely it is true,” Prunty said. “The DEQ does not regulate the container sites to my knowledge. The 1993 legislature changed solid waste rules and said container sites are not regulated by the DEHS, that’s what DEQ was then.”

This holds true today, the green box sites are not required to have fencing or personnel on site; this is something the solid waste board wants.

Unlike the 1994 attempt to close the sites under the ruse of federal regulations, the board clouts safety and inappropriate dumping as the cause for wanting the sites closed this time around.

“They don’t have to, but we want to have those controls on them,” Prunty said. “The solid waste board and staff, we feel it is important to have that ability.”

Prunty had just recently graduated at the time this was occurring in Flathead County and Olson joined the board about 10-12 years ago. Neither was aware the 1994 county commissioners had decided to close the sites and backed away from it, and a closure is a decision that Mutascio believes should be made by elected officials today as it was in 1994.

“If we’re going to face a cut in services and have money taken out of the pockets of homeowners and renters...the commissioners should make that decision,” Mutascio said.

In May 1994 the Bigfork green box site was set for closure due to anticipated cost increases. At that time, Flathead County was the cheapest in the state at $30.50 per year while Lake County was at $85, higher than Flathead’s current fee of $80.73.

Gary Stempin, director of the Flathead County Solid Waste District in 1994, said it would cost $1.4 million per year to comply with federal and state regulations such as manning the sites and fencing them in, although this was never required by law.

However, money is still an issue today.

A survey taken in the early 1990s indicated that most residents of the county would haul their own garbage up to 12 miles to avoid higher tax levies to support landfill operations.

Currently, consolidating the sites and hiring three people to staff the Creston and Somers sites would save the county about $60,000 a year and have the desired fencing and supervision.

The 2011 Solid Waste Report showed nearly $4.5 million in operational cash reserves plus roughly $13 million in trust fund accounts. Expenditures for 2011 were $6.7 million which included transfers of $1 million to the liner expansion trust, $600,000 to the closure/post-closure trust, $200,000 to the landfill property acquisition trust, $30,000 to the FEC Improvement fund for the gas-to-energy project and $4,000 to the Flathead City County Health Department as a sharps disposal grant. The landfill cost per ton for the year were $30.30, up slightly from 2010.

Prunty said the sites are intended for household waste from kitchen garbage cans and not potential pollutants such as the five-gallon bucket of chromic acid at Lakeside’s site and more common items such as couches and mattresses.

According to Olson the sites are also being used commercially and commercial waste is supposed to go to the landfill.

WHAT’S NEXT

Last Tuesday the Flathead County Solid Waste Board voted to delay a decision on closing the Bigfork site for six months to allow local residents time to formulate an alternative plan for garbage collection.

In a separate action, the board voted to create a work group of four Bigfork area residents and two Solid Waste District staffers to work together and report back to the board in six months.

This six-month period could be extended if necessary, but closure of Lakeside’s site is continuing as planned.

The yet to be formed committee will address concerns such as the location’s traffic safety and size.

“I can’t tell you how good it is to have communications with Bigfork,” Olson said. “We didn’t realize it was an issue until we set the date to close it.”