Select Board hears solid-waste collection-center update; RFQ timing and permit scope debated

Select Board and the solid-waste committee spent a lengthy part of the meeting reviewing progress on a proposed collection center and the schedule for a request for quotes (RFQ). Committee members said they are updating the DES permit to expand allowed materials beyond glass and cardboard, researching balers and dumpsters, and identifying markets and grant opportunities to make the center financially viable.

"We are developing a business," one committee member said, describing work to assemble quarterly statistics on capacity, labor and potential revenue. The committee told the board it will prepare cost estimates for capital improvements (electricity, paving and equipment) once capacity and flow are defined.

Board members and committee representatives debated RFQ timing. Committee members relayed vendor guidance recommending an 18-month lead time (the timeline discussed included awarding around July 1, 2026, so vendors could order trucks and equipment). Some Select Board members argued for starting RFQ drafting and attorney vetting this year so vendors could be consulted and contract language refined, even if final dissemination occurs later.

The committee said it will gather quarterly operational data, identify markets for recyclables and prepare a business plan and budget needs for the board by late 2025. The board agreed to circulate the committee's RFQ draft to the committee and to provide attorney review before public release.