Council settles on landfill consultant

The municipal landfill will be the focus of an operational review and data analysis in the very near future after council agreed to hire a consultant at Monday night’s regular meeting.
Operations and Facilities manager Pat Hickerson said a recent request for proposals saw four responses, with bids ranging from $309,000 to about $88,000.
“We found the best one to go with is the second-lowest, at $188,700,” he remarked. “They seem to understand what we want to do and where we want to go.”
“Why did you pick the second-lowest bid?” queried Mayor Glenn Witherspoon.
“When we put out a request for proposals, we look at all the proposals and ask, ‘Do they understand what we want to do?’ [The lowest bidder] didn’t meet the requirements,” replied Hickerson.
The price tag will cover a five-year consultation process, although Hickerson noted additional costs may be incurred as the consultants make recommendations as to any changes the town must make to ensure the landfill falls within Ministry of Environment regulations.
“I just hope it ends up being a lot cleaner out there than it is now,” said Coun. Roy Avis, who also is chair of the Operations and Facilities executive committee.
Mayor Witherspoon said last month that it’s about time a consultant be used. “We need to make some changes,” he stressed. “It’s terrible out there.
“I’ve gone to various communities and asked about their landfills and they’re nothing like this one,” the mayor noted. “If we compacted our garbage and covered it, maybe we wouldn’t have fires.”
Hickerson said the much-needed study will cover aspects of the landfill like cost-effectiveness, fire prevention, and cleanliness.