NORWAY – The Norway-Paris Solid Waste transfer station on Brown Street may close an additional day each week because of staff shortages.
Residents concerned about the possible closure, or wishing to comment on which day it should be closed, may voice their opinions at a special public hearing Wednesday.
“Garbage costs money,” solid waste manager Alison McCrady said Thursday. “Bottom line, there’s no way around it.”
She said closing the transfer station an extra day may help make up for staff shortages that are due, in part, to budget shortfalls. While Norway and Paris share the cost of running the solid waste company, this year Paris opted not to honor a requested $10,000 budget increase.
Norway then didn’t have to pay the increase either, McCrady said, creating a $20,00 shortfall.
The transfer station now is open Tuesday through Sunday. There are only three people available to operate the station over those six days, McCrady said.
On Thursday, McCrady and bookkeeper Linda Record were both in unaccustomed roles, as Record supervised trash dumping and McCrady helped switch trailers under the garbage disposal station. Then McCrady sorted and packed fluorescent light bulbs.
“It’s not just the dump’ anymore,” she said, speaking of waste ranging from hazardous materials to garbage to furniture, all of which is accepted and sorted.
McCrady has been asking customers which day they’d prefer the station be closed in addition to Mondays, and these talks have netted a wide range of responses, she said. The public hearing is intended to allow everyone to voice their concerns.
Steven Place of Norway was at the transfer station Thursday. He said he’ll try to make the hearing because he’s opposed to losing a day of service.
“I think you’d see a lot of people upset if they closed an extra day,” Place said, adding that he prefers higher taxes over losing station services. “I think it’s worth it,” he said.
Hubert Bouchard was also unloading some garbage Thursday.
“It doesn’t make any difference to me – I’m just a seasonal person,” he said.
McCrady said some residents have seemed in favor of closing the transfer station on Wednesday or Thursday, when business is slower. Many commercial haulers, however, may have a problem with that because they don’t work on weekends.
The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m Wednesday in the Paris town office.
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