Transfer station stickers will cost Marion residents $40 in 2020, members of the Marion Board of Selectmen officially ruled on November 19.
The cost of a transfer sticker, which allows residents access to the transfer stations at Benson Brook in Marion, as well as the Route 58 transfer station in Rochester, has been debated in recent months. While the $40 figure has been presented as aligning with fellow towns in the Carver Marion Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District (CMWRRDD), Marion’s selectmen were hesitant to charge residents so much for a sticker that had previously cost $10.
Selectmen Chairman Randy Parker requested further information from Town Administrator Jay McGrail before making a final decision; information that McGrail brought to Monday night’s meeting.
“The Benson Brook facility will remain open through December 31, 2020,” McGrail said. “What’s less clear is who will run it. The [CMWRRDD] has committed to running it through the end of calendar year 2020, but things are slightly up in the air, since Marion is considering an exit from the district. What we’re hoping to do is keep the Benson Brook facility open in 2021 and longer, by making it pay for itself via through the sticker fees,” he explained. “Well, at least as best as we possibly can.”
McGrail explained that costs to keep the Benson Brook facility would rise if Marion exits the district; the town will need to replace any equipment at the facility that currently belongs to the CMWRRDD. In addition, the town will need to find ways to fund overtime accrued by workers who staff the transfer facility on the weekend. The overtime costs are currently subsidized by Covanta.
McGrail said the plan is to open the Benson Brook facility only two days per week once Marion leaves the CMWRRDD, to cut down on costs: one weekday and one weekend day. The $40 sticker price tag will be per car, and there will be no discount for multiple vehicles. Military veterans and seniors aged 70 and older will receive a $10 discount on stickers.
McGrail is hoping that offering more waste services to Marion residents will help mitigate the sticker shock. During the meeting, he threw out a few different ideas to consider.
“I’ve heard consistently from residents that they want a place to put yard waste, like brush and branches, on a regular basis,” McGrail said. “I think we should take that at the transfer station. It will all be taken by our loaders and brought to a pile behind the sewer plant lagoons. Twice a year we’d rent a grinder and grind all the waste into mulch, and then offer the mulch to residents.”
McGrail admitted that renting the grinder on a day-by-day basis might cost as much as $5,000 per day.
“I don’t know for sure; I’ve never rented one,” he joked. “But I can definitely look into the cost further.”
McGrail also brought up the idea of bringing back Benson Brook’s swap shop. The swap shop was closed in 2018 after liability concerns involving non-employees near heavy machinery came to the attention of town officials.
Selectman John Waterman said he would be interested in seeing the swap shop re-opened, but only if certain rules and guidelines were set down first.
Parker agreed with Waterman, noting previous discord at the swap shop site.
“People were setting up lawn chairs over there and just sitting and waiting all day,” said Parker. He presented the idea of possibly placing time limits on visits to the swap shop as he’d seen at other transfer facility swap shops in the area. “Ten minutes,” he mused. “It’s a good idea to think about.”
The next meeting of the Board of Selectmen will be on December 3 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
Marion Board of Selectmen
By Andrea Ray