Region to discuss transfer station

The fate of Elmira’s transfer station, a hot-button item in the township, should be somewhat clearer when the issue is discussed at the region’s planning and works committee September 25.

The Region of Waterloo has thus far taken no definitive action on Woolwich’s request to maintain service at the waste station pending a deal to turn it over to a private operator.

In an update to Woolwich councillors meeting Tuesday night, Mayor Sandy Shantz said the region is monitoring usage, with a required environmental assessment of the site ongoing.

Currently, the already gutted service is scheduled to cease permanently by year’s end.

Timing is a key issue, as the two private companies that have expressed an interest in taking over the facility have stressed the need to keep the site in operation during the transition stage, which could take a considerable amount of time. Along with the time the region would need to clear the way for something like the sale of the land, the new operator would also face regulatory hurdles from the provincial Ministry of the Environment.

Sale of the land would be necessary as the region is constrained by union agreements against leasing out the facility to a private operator, nor does it want to maintain responsibility for future upgrade costs.

Projected long-term capital expenditures of more than $7 million were part of the rationale for regional council’s decision earlier this year to mothball all four transfer stations in the rural townships. For the Elmira facility, such costs were estimated at $2.3 million over the next decade.