County dedicates new transfer station

The new station has eight bays compared to three on the original building.

The facility’s crane can compact a maximum of 27 tons of waste before the load is hauled away.

Whitman County Commissioner Dean Kinzer cuts the ribbon at the new $4.5 million transfer station as commissioners Art Swannack (left) and Michael Largent look on. Next to Largent is Whitman County Public Works Director Mark Storey.

The Whitman County Public Works Department dedicated its new $4.5 million transfer station Tuesday afternoon south of Colfax.

It is now set to open to the public once paving scheduled for April 23 is complete.

The facility’s 27-ton maximum payload capacity is housed under a 30-foot ball opening on the 120-foot long by almost 100-foot wide structure.

County Public Works Director Mark Storey reported that the project came in about $70,000 over projected cost.

David Nails, Whitman County Solid Waste and Recycling Director, acted as the Project Manager.

“First time?” asked County Commissioner Michael Largent at the event Tuesday.

“And last,” said Nails.

The new station replaces the existing transfer station, which was built in the early ‘90s.

The new operation’s gravity-style drop-in system will more than double the capacity for residents and commercial operations to drop off solid waste.

The 12,000-square foot structure will have eight stalls for trucks to back in, compared to the three on the original building.

The old facility will be revitalized as a recycling center.

In the new station, the eight bays will be split into four for residential and four for commercial.

A scale on the east side of the new building will serve trucks from Empire Disposal and Pullman Disposal.

The county-funded project came about after a 2012 contract resulted in new savings in the handling of solid waste.