Allen County commissioners finalized the purchase of storm shelters and heard a report about how much trash the landfill accepted in 2020.
Commissioners voted to buy a sixth storm shelter for the north part of Iola, after approving five storm shelters in the communities of Petrolia, Mildred, Elsmore and two in Savonburg.
The additional shelter brings the county’s total cost to $254,300.
Commissioners wanted to pay for the shelters using federal relief money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), but it’s not clear if the project qualifies. Thrive Allen County administers the funds for the county, and CEO Lisse Regher said the project could qualify if the shelter was used for other purposes. However, most of those other uses would require the shelters to have restrooms and electricity.
That isn’t the plan, commissioners said. The county decided to purchase the shelters before the ARPA funds became available, so the money is in the budget, Chairman Bruce Symes said. The county also could use money it gets as an annual payment from the Prairie Queen Wind Farm.
MITCH Garner, public works director, presented commissioners with an updated annual report on solid waste disposal.
In 2020, the landfill collected 12,589.78 tons of trash from Allen County residents and commercial businesses.
Of that, 5,364.97 tons of waste came from local residents and 7,224.81 tons from local commercial trash.
Another 107,784.01 tons of industrial and special waste came from a 15-county area.
That’s a little higher than usual, Garner said.
Much of the increase in recent years was attributed to new construction of low-income housing, and a new apartment building and grocery store in 2016 and 2017.
The landfill has been operating for about 56 years and likely will continue for at least 100 years, Garner told commissioners.
Trash is collected in “cells. When one cell reaches a certain height, a new cell is opened. Landfill staff are already working on the next cell.
Chairman Symes updated commissioners on a meeting he attended about the end of Iola Rotary Club’s recycling effort. He did not make any commitments on the county’s behalf, he said.
THRIVE’S Jessica Thompson asked commissioners to declare an intention to file for a grant that could help the county build a communications tower.
