PHARSALIA – Cost of the multi-million dollar cell four development project at the Chenango County landfill in Pharsalia may exceed early estimates, according to county officials, and it’s raising questions of how much more will be needed to finish the project.
The issue was presented to the Chenango County Finance Committee last week by Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown. Brown also chairs the county’s committee on public works. According to Brown, bids for the project, which were made available to engineering firms in late January, are coming in much higher than expected due to unanticipated changes in the scope of the project.
Brown said that technical equipment used to monitor the landfill is housed in two facilities at the landfill, and those facilities have become worn. Some equipment will also have to be replaced, he said. Replacing them was not included in the original project layout, but doing so adds an estimated $200,000 to the final cost.
“Those facilities were put in when we built the landfill and they all have to meet explosion requirements,” Brown explained to committee members, noting that such requirements drastically increase the cost. “When we budgeted for the project, we had budgeted it for $3.6 million,” he said. “Bids are coming in closer to $3.8 million.”
Not replacing those facilities would subject the county to citations from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The County Department of Public Works and members of the Public Works Committee are scheming a plan to have some equipment housed outside the building, thus not subjecting the facility to the explosion proof requirements – a move that would be about a tenth of the cost, according to Brown.
“We also found that we possibly can see a savings by buying all new equipment instead of (modifying) the old equipment,” he added. “To have old things match new equipment, it might cost more for engineering.”
The county saw a similar situation while constructing cell three at the landfill in 2008. Bids for that project also surpassed what was budgeted. Funds were transfered from reserve accounts to cover additional costs and any leftover funds were put toward development of cell four. The county may use the same strategy this time around, with leftover funds being earmarked for development of another new cell further down the road
Cell four at the landfill is expected to last approximately 10 years before it’s filled. In 2014, the county authorized a $249,700 agreement with the Syracuse based planning and engineering firm Barton and Loguidice for design and development of the new cell. That contract also encompassed bidding assistance, administration, construction inspection and construction certification services.
Although use of cell four may not be needed for another two to three years, county officials aim to have it ready for use beforehand in order to address any problems or concerns. Hopes are to have construction finished by November.
The Pharsalia landfill is permitted by the DEC to have a maximum of seven cells. Depending on the rate at which those cells are filled – which is often influenced by largescale building projects in the county, such as the demolition of the old New York State Veterans Home in Oxford in 2010 – the county anticipates another 30-40 years before reaching full capacity.
The need for a fifth cell is already being discussed among members of the Chenango County Public Works Committee. That project is expected to reach upward of $4 million.