SUMNER – Buckfield Town Manager Glen Holmes visited Sumner selectmen at their meeting Tuesday to present a plan to put in running water and a septic system at the transfer station shared by the two towns.
Holmes said the proposed $22,000 to $25,000 project would extend the eaves from the back of the main building so two rooms could be added. The smaller room would be a bathroom.
The larger one would be used to hold universal waste; that category includes pesticides, batteries and thermostats, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The cost of the project would also include adding a drilled well, septic system and and eyewash station.
“Personally, I think a bathroom is a common courtesy,” Holmes said. Transfer station employees currently use a portable outhouse. “I think the people who work for the town deserve a little bit better,” he added.
Selectman Mark Silber expressed doubts about the project. “I think that’s a heck of a lot of money to spend,” he said. “I’m just not sure there aren’t other ways to do it.” Silber questioned whether a drilled well at the transfer station would produce potable water and suggested that providing bottled water might be a better solution.
Holmes said that when he contacted the Department of Environmental Protection, he was told there shouldn’t be any problem with the well water. He added that having running water at the transfer station would help with cleanup, especially under the compactor, which he called “a potential health hazard.”
Selectmen agreed to discuss the plan at their next meeting, on June 14.
At that time, they expect to vote on whether to approve the plan and ask voters to appropriate funds for it at the August town meeting.
They also plan to attend the June 21 meeting of the Buckfield selectmen to discuss a long-range plan for the transfer station. Sumner selectmen and Holmes hope that a swap shop will be part of that plan.
Although the Buckfield town manager also serves as manager of the Buckfield-Sumner Solid Waste Transfer Station, decisions about the station must be approved by selectmen from both towns.
Holmes said Buckfield selectmen have already approved his plan to provide water at the transfer station. The plan will go before Buckfield voters at their town meeting next month.
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