New trash plan out of the bag; And selectmen support ski jumps

SALISBURY — The Board of Selectmen heard a presentation on a Pay As You Throw (PAYT) program for the transfer station and discussed the request for assistance from the Salisbury Winter Sports Association at the regular monthly meeting Monday, Feb. 8.

Mike LaPorte of South Carolina-based WasteZero made essentially the same presentation he did for the Salisbury-Sharon Transfer Station Recycling Advisory Committee last month.

Conceding that people sometimes see PAYT as a “bag tax,� LaPorte said it is really a usage fee, similar to utility metering. The idea is that transfer station customers who do a better job of recycling buy and use fewer bags.

LaPorte says that of the 270 municipalities that use the WasteZero program none has dropped out. And using figures provided by transfer station manager Brian Bartram, he said PAYT could reduce the transfer station’s current annual tonnage from 3,233 tons to 2,004 tons. Per capita, that is a drop from 911 pounds to 565.

LaPorte’s minimum revenue  estimate is $202,038, but added that revenue could be as high as $309,000.

Bartram, who supports a one-year trial of the PAYT program, took pains to point out that the current annual sticker fee would be eliminated under the proposed system, and the revenue from bag sales would replace the $190,000 currently collected from sticker fees and the $110,000 collected from businesses.

First Selectman Curtis Rand didn’t care for the term “revenue,� saying “it’s important that people realize we’re not trying to make money on this, we’re trying to cut costs.�

Selectman Jim Dresser said he thought the WasteZero presentation could be “laid out more clearly,� but noted that in theory such a program could ultimately reduce taxes.

Rand also noted the uncertainties around municipal waste in Connecticut, with the Connecticut Resource Recovery Authority facing a challenge from a proposal from the Capital Region Council of Governments for handling part of the state’s trash.

But everybody agreed that in order to meet state mandates for recycling, something has to give. “We’ve got to get the message out about recyclables going in the garbage,� Rand said.

“To haul watermelon rinds and corncobs to Hartford makes no sense.�

Bartram said that some 850 households in Salisbury and Sharon still have not purchased transfer station stickers, and reiterated that every household, whether they use a hauler or not, is required to buy the $70 sticker.

New tower for SWSA

The selectmen were supportive of the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) request for help in financing a new $700,000 ski jump in order to host the Junior Olympics next year.

At a special meeting of the Board of Finance Feb. 1, a possible solution was formulated: The town commits to a series of grants over five years, as a guarantee to Salisbury Bank and Trust (which is acting as the ski association’s bankers) that the project is backed by the town. The amount discussed was five grants of $140,000 each, over five years.

The town makes annual grants to a number of area organizations, such as the Scoville Library.

SWSA hopes to never actually use the grant money, relying instead on its own fundraising and a line of credit from the bank to finance the construction.

At the Feb. 1 meeting, SWSA treasurer Jon Higgins said that the group has raised about $160,000 thus far.

However, the grants would still be line items in the town’s budget. In other words, town residents would have to pay taxes on it.

Complicating things is a tight deadline. SWSA must inform the United States Ski Association by March 10 if the deal is on and the tower can be built in time for the Junior Olympic games next February.

Ed Reagan said he thought it “imperative� that the town get behind the idea. Hosting a national event “would be a feather in our cap.�

And Rand said, “It makes Salisbury part of something that’s good for the country.

“I think we should help them [the ski association].�

Rand said a tentative schedule of action includes an informational meeting Feb. 26 and a vote March 5.