The new scales at the Keremeos transfer station were officially opened on May 16.
The transfer station, located on the site of the former Keremeos landfill, needed some road reconstruction to accommodate the scale, which was donated by BFI Canada. The transfer station driveway was raised several feet in height and a concrete block retaining wall constructed.
Regional district staffers and politicians attended the event, with RDOS Engineering Technologist Candace Wagner thanking those present, in addition to a number of contractors who also assisted, for their efforts in locating the scale.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Public Works Manager Doug French.
The scale has been operational since May 4. Regional district staff said an assessment was ongoing regarding how best to deal with bottleneck problems with respect to accessing the disposal bins from the scale. Currently, priority is given to those exiting the bin area.
Fees at the transfer station have been changed to reflect actual weights instead of the previously used method of assessing charges based on the vehicle type. Vehicles will now get weighed prior to and after they drop off waste materials.
Area “G” Director George Bush asked regional district staff about the feasibility of additional hours of operation at the site.
“I’ve had quite a few calls,” he said, regarding requests for additional open times.
Keremeos Director Manfred Bauer expressed ongoing concerns about the costs involved in extra hours, estimating that an additional Wednesday morning open time would likey cost in the order of 12 to $15,000 annually. Works Manager Doug French said he would look into the costs and present his findings to the directors.
