Consultant explains why Ospringe still preferred transfer site

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guelph – County coun­cillors heard a full report on the site selection process for a tran­sfer station at the south and east­ern part of the county on Sept. 27.
Council had heard earlier in the summer that Ospringe is still the preferred site, despite the county purchasing several acres of land surrounding the cur­rent Hillsburgh transfer sta­tion.
The county hired consul­tants SNC Lavalin in its search for a site, and Darren Dickson explained the site selec­tion process during a half-hour presentation.
He insisted right away that the top choice “was not done to bring Ospringe back; it was done to assessment the merits” for various areas being con­sidered for a transfer station.
He explained the history of the search, from 2002, and said the search was done “to show residents the site was selected in an open manner.”
He explained the cri­teria used considered seven sites, in­cluding two municipal main­tenance yards, an abandoned commercial site, an agricul­tural site, two gravel pits (one of which is the Ospringe site), and one site that was abandoned because it did not meet distance criteria. The Hillsburgh transfer station was also included.
Dickson said the majority of the sites had “low potential.”
He said that his firm com­pared the Ospringe site side-by-side with the Hillsburgh tran­sfer station property, the Os­pringe site had “high potential.”
Dickson said Ospringe is central for Erin and Guelph-Eramosa Township residents, was an active pit and is already mined, is large enough, and did not need site specific zoning.
He said the Hillsburgh site was three times farther away for some residents, did not have enough capacity, has environ­mental concerns, and engineering and cost problems.
Dickson said the county asked SNC Lavalin to consider the newly purchased land around the Hillsburgh transfer station, but it is well beyond the distance criteria, encroaches on core greenlands, and is near provincially significant wet­lands. He said the purchased property is “a little better” than the transfer station property, is not located on a dump, and there would be no environ­mental problems with garbage.
But he said, it lacks the single unique advantage that the current transfer station prop­erty has – a certificate to accept garbage.
Dickson concluded that the Os­pringe area provides the best place for a transfer station. He added that in other site selec­tion tests, the new Hillsburgh property was eliminated by the second run on the criteria for a sight.
“All analysis gave similar results,” he said.
He added that with the meth­od being used to select a site, one of the only ways the process can be overridden is by “strong willed people” who can convince others to ignore the criteria.
He said the Hillsburgh lands, called site 9, and the newly bought lands around it, called site 9A, was “one of the least promising links” for a transfer station. “Ospringe is consistently preferred to 9 and 9A,” he added.
Dickson said the other op­tions could be to have rural col­lection, restart the site selection process, or use the existing transfer stations at Belwood or Aberfoyle for the residents of Erin and Guelph-Eramosa.
Councillor Rod Finnie said he appreciated the exercise that was used to demonstrate it was not just the intention to bring the Ospringe site back for consid­eration, but he said some of the criteria used in the study “may not apply today.”
He said the Ospringe site has now been rehabilitated for agriculture, so the Hillsburgh site “may now be better.”
He said he his polling resi­dents in Erin to find out what they want to see.”
He added that finding such sites is ‘controversial, and we won’t find one that pleases everybody.”
Maieron said he looks forward to seeing the results of Finnie’s poll.
He said he has concerns look­ing for a new site, and in his personal scoring system, Hillsburgh is the preferred site.
Dickson said the land use and the complex wetlands are “a severe detriment” to using site 9A.
And, he said, “If you’re talking Erin residents only, yes, it’s dramatically closer to them.”
Councillor Bob Wilson said  the choice of Ospringe in 2002 made as much sense then as it does today.
Warden John Green told him, “You’re right again.”
Councillor Gord Tosh, who represents Guelph-Eramosa, in­dicated he is tired of Erin wanting all the consideration while his municipality gets nothing.
“Guelph-Eramosa did not bring a huge, leaking, stinking, expen­sive dump into the county,” when amal­ga­mation occurred and the county took over waste management.
He said his township’s residents have not complained about the high cost of garbage that they are paying for on property taxes, but he wants some consideration for them, too. The Hillsburgh site would force residents in his munici­pality to drive miles out of their way while Erin residents would have a short trip. Ospringe is the most central site.
Tosh said that Guelph-Era­mosa came into the county waste management system with rural pick-up, but that was deem­ed too costly and was dropped. He wants some ser­vice for his ward’s residents.
Council accepted the con­sultant’s report on the site selec­tion process

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