Our County

Since posting my first article about the Beaver Hill Disposal Site much has changed. When we first began our effort to inform you about the facility and the situation we were facing, the information in my article was the most accurate information available at the time. 

At a work session held in June of 2009 the Commissioners authorized spending up to $50,000 on a feasibility study to determine if our facility could run for another 15 to 20 years  (Beaver Hill Feasibility Study), the time it would take to fill another ash trench. The study was done by a company called URS Corporation. They employed two other companies named ACS (Advanced Combustion Systems), and Bell & Associates. ACS made the on-site-visit of our facility and submitted their report concerning the viability of our operation. Aside from a few things that we had already identified as needing to be updated, they wrote that they felt the facility should be able to continue to operate long enough to fill another ash trench. However, URS Corporations final report also included cost figures for operating as we do now, incinerating the garbage and hauling it to another landfill, shutting down the incinerators and turning the facility into a transfer station, and just shutting the facility down and closing the site. I took exception to many things in this report and some of my concerns can be found at the end of the Beaver Hill Feasibility Study page. The County paid approximately $38,000 for this report, it was released in early march, and all of the additional documents and information I have included at the end of the report were available to URS Corporation before they finalized their report.

The Commissioners then ask the Solid Waste Advisory Committee to look at the information and make a recommendation as to what they felt should be done with the BHDS (Beaver Hill Disposal Site). The Solid Waste Advisory Committee held two meetings at which public comment was allowed, the first in Coquille, and the second in North Bend, both starting at 2:00pm on Wednesdays, still a number of concerned citizens were able to attend those meetings, and the support for the continued operation of the facility was overwhelming. At the first meeting I presented information that identified many problems with, and errors in, the URS report. I also presented a document from our County Surveyor Karlas Seidel that showed we have approximately 8 years remaining in the current ash trench (see the last document in the Beaver Hill Feasibility Study), and many citizens spoke to the committee about their desire to have the facility continue operating. The second meeting was held at the North Bend City Council Chambers, and although it was held in the middle of the day on a Wednesday, a large number of people showed up and again spoke of their support for the facilities continued operation. At the end of this meeting the committee requested that although future meetings will still be public the committee wanted to end public comment and begin their discussion.

The third meeting was held at the Coos Bay Library, the meeting opened with Steve Allen, County Human Resources Director, announcing his resignation as HR Director and the chair of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. Steve then asked Martin Abts, a DEQ employee, to assume the chairmanship of the committee. After much committee discussion Cheryl Westgaard, interim director of the BHDS, and Bill Richardson, manager of Waste Connection in Coos County, were asked to compile some information and bring it to the next meeting.

Meeting number four was held in Bandon, prior to the meeting I acquired another document from the surveyors office showing that based on updated numbers we now have more than 13 & 1/2 years remaining in the trench. I sent this document and a letter describing what I felt we should be allowed to do to Mr. Abts (see updated survey document). At the meeting additional copies of the surveyor’s document were given to all members of the committee and Mr. Abts spoke at length about how the increased time in the trench will allow the committee to make a thorough evaluation of our operation before making ANY recommendations. Once again, by the close of this meeting, Cheryl Westgaard and the new Operations Manager Scott Murray were tasked to provide additional information for the next meeting, that meeting has not been scheduled yet. 

I am very thankful for all the support that people have given us, and I’m pleased with the information we have been able to provide to the committee. My largest remaining concern is that Kevin Stufflebean has not only attended every meeting that the committee has held, he has participated in every meeting as a member of the committee. A list of the members of this committee can be found on the County web site, Kevin is not on the list; he is the liaison to the Solid Waste Department and the Commissioner who ask the committee to make a recommendation on the future of the BHDS. I feel he has been attempting to control the outcome of the committee’s recommendation, and if he truly wanted the committee to make an unbiased recommendation he would have stayed out of the way and let them do their job!