$2 million and 4 years later, transfer station completed
Staff writer
Marion County’s transfer station was finished Nov. 27 at a cost of $2,031,625.66, though another bill from the project engineer also might be coming.
County commissioners Monday reviewed the financial status of the transfer station, originally estimated at $1.875 million and financed at $1.78 million.
The county will need to squeeze nearly $200,000 out of the general fund and transfer station fund to come up with the difference.
Contaminated soil and electrical wiring that was not where the city thought it was delayed the project only 10 days past the original contracted completion date, contractor Cody Nelson said.
“The commissioners and the county were good to work with,” Nelson said. “There were some challenges we had to work with and we all worked together to get it done.”
Josh Housman, transfer station director, said the station’s hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
“There are no bins outside the gates, but we are opening the south doors for people to throw their trash in 7 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday,” Houseman said.
Entry is on the south side of the building.
The bins for recycling will be set inside the fence. Recycling is $5 for up to 100 pounds of items, then charged by the pound after 100 pounds.
Recycling goes to South Hutchinson, which charges $120 a ton.
Houseman said the county is working to get signs made to tell people where to go.
The project, nine months in construction, was originally estimated at $1.875 million including construction and engineering costs.
County commissioners in February signed a $1.76 million contract with Marion construction company Nelson-Fowles to begin work on the 80-by-76-foot building. Work began in March.
Work was done in two phases, with construction on one half followed by construction on the other half, so refuse and recycling could continue to come in during construction.
Contaminated soil and incorrect information about Marion electrical wiring drove costs beyond the estimated price, forcing commissioners to increase the estimated cost to $2.02 million by the end of August.