08/10/2006: "EDITORIAL"

The Bigger Question Is Not Trash
TONIGHT, from 7 pm to 9 pm Is the night for San Juan Island residents to express their preference on how the County will manage trash. SWAC and other citizens have been working through what they believe are the priority of options, and now want more input on the tentative draft recommendations ( Previous story ) they will soon make to the County Council

The two top options being considered for possible recommendations to the County Council (who will hold their own public hearings) fall into two areas: Who should transport household trash, and where does it go?

● Do we continue, as we have, with curbside pick-up available to those willing to pay for it, while allowing homeowners and commercial business the pleasure of making a "dump-run", or do we go with one of the other options up for discussion tonight:

● Do we provide so called curb-side pick-up to all, and all pay a fee (set by the State Utility Commission) for the service, while still allowing self-delivery of trash to the dump; or

● Do we limit self-delivery only to commercial haulers and businesses?

● Or some other combination of possibilities?

The related, and potentially expensive part of how garbage is handled is the question: Where does it go, no matter how it gets there? The decision made on this may have greater impacts on cost for the County as a whole, then who hauls what. Some in the community believe the driving force behind the discussion is the desire of the County to build a new modern transfer station on the land the County purchased last year on San Juan Island ( Previous story ), and a perceived lack of will on the part of Public Works to address some of the real problems with the current transfer site.

Public Works maintains the site has always been inadequate, dangerous, and simply will not provide a facility necessary to properly, safely and efficiently serve as a transfer station. If the use of a transfer station is open to all, does the County have to build a new facility on the now un-used land they purchased on San Juan Island? And if so, how much will that cost (the original land cost was 1.8 million for 27 acres) to build and run? And will the money spent mean the County will not be able to proceed on any of the other pressing needs facing the County?

The County purchased the land on San Juan Island for use by Public Works, but without any clearly stated decision as to what will become of it, and they recently did the same with the purchase of the old LaFarge gravel pit (which they gave to the SJI Rec), and the associated beach, that were not sure what it may be used for, or if the fill from the gravel pit that made it will simply wash away over the years. The Council is currently in the middle of a discussion of what should the long term plan for the Carlson property look like. They purchased that property for around 1.75 million (and may decide to tear it down it in 5 or 10 years in order to build a new modern building; but then again maybe not).

While the Consultant hired to run the show tonight is charged only with dealing with the question of how solid waste is handled on San Juan Island, one can only hope the bigger question of how a decision made on this subject, may effect other decisions yet to be made by the County Council, will not be far from the mind of the citizens who do their civic duty tonight by asking questions, and give advice and consent to SWAC members, who in turn will soon make a recommendation to our decision makers at the County Council level.