FARMINGTON – Following the unanimous vote by the Sandy River Recycling Association’s board to deed its composting facility and approximately an acre of land over to the town of Farmington, the 23-year-old organization has moved a step closer to dispensing with its assets and ceasing operations.
While in operation, the SRRA’s composting site accepted nearly 30 tons of food scraps, primarily from the University of Maine at Farmington. The pile was maintained on the association’s property near the transfer station. At the site, which included a concrete pad poured in 2005, compost was run through a screen and regularly tested, then sold. The sale of compost never fully covered the cost of running the site, and the SRRA board voted in November 2013 to cease operations as of Dec. 31, 2013.
The organization’s action on Wednesday was taken following a presentation by Thomas Eastler, a professor at UMF and member of the town’s planning board, which included a proposal to begin processing compost at the site within two years. His proposal involves the formation of a coalition of volunteers, consisting of people associated with the town, college and local school system to help develop the transportation, maintenance and processing infrastructure to reopen the site sometime in the next two years.
On Tuesday, April 22, Farmington selectmen unanimously approved accepting the property and associated state license from SRRA if it was offered.
Jo Josephson, the former SRRA president, said today that she was pleased Eastler had approached both boards with his proposal.
“I’m glad he’s picked up the baton and is running with it,” she said, adding how the concept of “second chances” fit well with the initiatives the SRRA had run over the past two decades.
Josephson said that she particularly liked Eastler’s emphasis on the educational potential of the composting program for local students. She noted that the SRRA tried to convince the University of Maine at Farmington to acquire the program roughly a year ago, but understood why the college had refused, given its financial restraints.
SRRA was currently having its 2.94 acres of land surveyed. The entire parcel, located near the Farmington transfer station, was deeded to SRRA by the town of Farmington in 1991. Approximately one acre and the concrete pad would go to the town, while the remaining property and buildings associated with the recycling facility would be sold.
Meanwhile, SRRA is working with another company to appraise and sell its other assets, including a forklift, truck, van, baler and other pieces of heavy equipment. Josephson said that some of the association’s roll-off containers had already been sold to Archie’s Inc., which was providing transportation services for several towns, including Farmington, Weld and Rangeley in the wake of SRRA’s announced dissolution.
Some towns, such as Weld and Rangeley, were utilizing Archie’s on a short-term basis as town officials educated themselves on the subject, while others, such as Carrabassett Valley and Eustis, were moving toward single-sort.
Funds raised through the sale of the equipment and property will be distributed between SRRA’s member towns as of Jan. 16, 2014, Josephson said, with each town receiving a share proportional to the funds they had contributed to the association in the past five years.
While compost has not been accepted by SRRA since late 2013, there does exist some remaining, processed compost on site. The association intends to sell off the remaining product on Memorial Day weekend. Due to the fact that the compost has not been run through a screen, it will be cheaper than in previous years, Josephson said, with details regarding times and prices to be forthcoming at a later date.
SRRA will formally dissolve on June. 30.
