Construction is underway near the town garage on Beecher Hill Road to rebuild Hinesburg’s trash and recycling drop-off center by the end of this year.
The Chittenden Solid Waste District recently chose a contractor for the project to return the popular drop off after it closed two years ago ahead of the new town garage construction.
District spokeswoman Michelle Morris said the Board of Commissioners at its Sept. 25 meeting selected Stewart Construction of Essex Junction to do the work, approving a contract for no more than $430,000.
Construction began Oct. 1 and Town Administrator Renae Marshall said she finalized a five-year lease for the site with CSWD on Oct. 9. The lease will have an option for renewal with three additional five-year renewal options after that. Under the agreement, the district will pay the town $1 per year for the space to run the drop-off.
Hinesburg town and waste district officials began collaborating on plans for the new drop-off center after the previous facility closed in October 2017. The process resulted in a new drop-off center to return to the same spot, designed by Lamoureux & Dickinson of Essex Junction.
The district board chose Stewart from five contractors who bid on the project, Morris said. Their proposal specifically demonstrated “an excellent understanding of the needs of the project, project management and an efficient workflow plan,” she said.
Stewart’s initial estimate put the project cost at $424,215, including an added option for a solar array for $12,915, according to CSWD Executive Director Sarah Reeves.
Plans for the center include an attendant booth, two compactors and a roll-off for overflow recycling. A special waste building will be built for containers to collect electronics, batteries, waste oil and food waste.
The district will also periodically provide its “Rover” for the collection of hazardous waste.
The new design will not have room to collect some of the large items previously accepted at the drop-off such as scrap metal, large appliances and tires.
Hinesburg has a full-time scrap metal operation at Burnett Scrap Metal that waste district officials consider a good option. Other large items are accepted at other district facilities in South Burlington or Williston.
District officials said they also expect to schedule single-material collection events for tires, appliances, or other special items not regularly handled at the drop-off.
Parking at the updated center was designed so people could drop off a variety of materials without having to move their vehicles. The new plans have room for 19 parking spots compared to 13 spots previously. That should make visits go more smoothly and significantly decrease wait times, said town Development Review Coordinator Mitchel Cypes.
Residents of any of the waste district’s member communities may use the drop-off. The previous center was popular with Hinesburg residents along with users from nearby St. George, Huntington, Charlotte and Shelburne, officials said.
The construction contract calls for the new center to be built within 90 days. Work on both this project this fall and the previous construction at the new town garage have been designed to minimize impacts on the environment, particularly the Beecher Hill Brook.
The garage and drop-off site is adjacent to Beecher Hill Brook where a restoration project is underway funded through a state grant obtained by the Lewis Creek Association.
Marshall said Stewart will coordinate with the contractor for the restoration project, Milone & MacBroom, so that neither effort gets in the other’s way.
“We’ll have good communication going forward and we’ll be able to navigate the two construction projects,” she said.
