Advisory board tapped to aid in creation of county solid waste plan; bids solicited for refuse collection

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

Dennis Farmer, Gerry Lynn and Debbie Troutman acquired some new responsibilities May 30.

The three were appointed to a committee to start the process of reviewing the county’s five-year solid waste plan. Appointments, which were for staggered terms, came during a special meeting of the county Fiscal Court.

“We can expand it later but we need to get it started right now,” county Judge Executive Harry Craycroft said in announcing the appointees.

“All three of them come from different backgrounds and will bring some good input to the committee,” he said.

Since Meade County doesn’t have a solid waste board, the state mandates they have this committee, which will be used solely for advising Fiscal Court members on solid waste operations.

Solid Waste Coordinator Mark Gossett said one of the first things the committee has been tasked with is reviewing and updating the five-year plan, which is due in Frankfort by Oct. 1.

“This is basically a comprehensive plan of what we want to do in the next five years,” he said.

In a related matter, Fiscal Court authorized Gossett to proceed with the issuance of bids for solid waste collection. Collections will take place throughout the county, with the exception of Muldraugh and Brandenburg, which already have garbage services.

Gossett said the proposed bid advertisement already has generated some interest from at least 10 different companies and indicated sealed bids would be opened by the Court.

Gossett assured the Court they would have something in place by Oct. 1. He also said the Court had the right to reject any and all bids, if so desired.

Gossett said the companies had the right to change the collection days, as long as they handled all customer communications. He sought a five-year contract with an option of no price increase for the first three years.

“We are going to try for this,” he said. “If we don’t put it in there then we don’t know if it is going to fly or not.”