NORWAY – The Brown Street Transfer Station will be closed an additional day each week starting Jan. 1.

On Wednesday, Norway-Paris Solid Waste Inc. directors voted to close the station on Thursdays as well as Sundays. The board also voted to alter the Frost Hill Landfill’s winter hours, which go into effect Dec. 1.

“Both of us will be closed on the same days,” solid waste General Manager Alison McCrady said. She said the transfer station’s new hours are considered permanent.

The landfill in the winter is typically closed on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. However, this winter it will be closed on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays.

McCrady said a handful of residents and a commercial waste hauler showed up for Wednesday’s meeting. The board had planned to implement the new transfer station hours Dec. 1, but agreed to wait an extra month after learning that some commercial haulers want more time to notify their customers, she said.

The measures have been considered as a way to cut costs and help with limited staffing at the transfer station. Norway-Paris Solid Waste has said McCrady can’t hire a full staff due to budget shortfalls.

The company functions as a quasi-municipal service. Norway and Paris paid $240,000 to run Norway-Paris Solid Waste this year.

While the towns share the cost of running the solid waste company, Paris this year opted not to honor a requested $10,000 budget increase.

Norway then didn’t have to pay the increase either, creating a hole in the budget, the solid waste company has said.