Board talks trash

LIVERMORE FALLS - Selectmen agreed Monday night to support several changes at the town's transfer station, including a written policy on no dump-picking.

Station attendant Fred Nadeau discussed new regulations on universal wastes with the board. These govern fluorescent bulbs, mercury switches and devices such as thermostats, thermometers, rechargeable batteries and PCB ballasts.

None of these items should be put in trash; instead they must be taken to the attendant. Broken or leaking items will not be accepted, and only 10 items per customer per week will be accepted, he said.

He said that since Sundays are one of the busiest days at the station, it would be helpful if people did not bring this universal waste at that time.

The board agreed to pay the attendant's substitute for volunteer hours that he put in during two especially busy holiday weekends.

Since more than one person is needed at the station at busy times, Selectman Russell Flagg suggested it may be time to incorporate the landfill and the highway department, so that highway workers could help out there.

Selectmen also agreed to look into having commercial haulers pay their own tipping fees at the Jay transfer station, as some other towns do. At present, the town pays these fees but commercial haulers apparently haven't been encouraging their customers to recycle, so the town ends up paying more than it would for households that do recycle.

Another problem with the haulers' use of Dumpsters is that unauthorized people often unload their trash into them, they said.

In other business, the board agreed to allow employees to attend funeral services for Laura Alvino, a longtime ballot clerk, during their working hours. "You don't get many people like her, this is the town's way to say thank you," Selectwoman Joyce Drake said.

The board will hold a workshop at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 16 to review the personnel policy.

A request for a computer for the code officer will be discussed at budget time and the one for a different truck for the sewer department was tabled for more information.

The board agreed not to grandfather two businesses under the adult-only ordinance. "We told people we wouldn't change it, and we shouldn't" said Selectman Bill Demaray. The two, Rosy's and the Video Store, have five years to phase out magazines that fall within this ordinance and X-rated videos.