CRESWELL – The Lane County Board of Commissioners last week approved reducing operating hours at the Creswell Transfer Station at 34293 E. Cloverdale Road and closing the Walton site outside of Veneta to save money and cut costs in the waste management division.
On Tuesday, commissioners met to continue discussing proceeding with “Option 2” from a list of suggested ways to increase revenue within the division. This option proposes a net revenue gain of over $3 million.
Option two proposes a 5% increase to the volume-based fees for larger loads brought to transfer stations, which will generate approximately $610,000. This option also requests a minimum fee increase from $15 to $25, which would generate around $1,895,000.
It proposes the Veneta Transfer Station close on Mondays and Tuesdays, saving around $140,000. Other transfer station operating hours will be reduced, saving around $70,000.
At the June 23 meeting, where Jeff Orlandini, Waste Management Division manager, first introduced the proposal, he suggested closing the Walton and Creswell transfer sites. Closing the Walton Transfer Station will bring in about $50,000, and the Creswell one would bring another $550,000.
“We won’t have a division if we continue running at the deficit we are now. And so these hard decisions need to be made,” Orlandini said.
After hearing community concerns about the complete closure of the Creswell station, Orlandini brought back several options for the board to consider. Many of the previous suggestions remained the same, like eliminating the recycling rebate, which provides a $1 discount on disposal fees for folks who recycle at the county’s transfer stations.
“The main reason we had put on closing Creswell was the location. The fact that there’s the largest transfer station in the County to the north of it, and one of the largest to the south of it,” he said.
“It’s not a bad drive from Creswell to Veneta, but why have to make it? For me, closing them is a very last resort,” Commissioner Pat Farr said.
Commissioners were presented with options to keep the Creswell Transfer Station open on certain days of the week. The original proposal suggested closing the site entirely; another suggested leaving that station open only on Saturdays; and the last option was to keep it open on Fridays and Saturdays.
“I appreciate you being willing to share the other two options. As anticipated, I too have received a lot of input regarding the proposal of closing the Creswell location,” said commissioner Heather Buch, who represents east Lane County, including Creswell and Cottage Grove.
She said constituents have written to and called her with concerns about the closure and that they use the location often.
“What they have told me is they would not want to see the Creswell Transfer Station closed, so I really cannot support the option that closes it,” she said.
The Creswell Transfer Station saw just under 16,000 customers last year and incurred a net loss of $113,000. The Walton station had only 773 last year, with a net loss of $32,000.
Buch said that closures will likely increase illegal dumping in roadways, and she does not want to see that increase. She also said that if the Creswell station were to remain open only on Saturdays, Saturdays would be very busy, so she favored the option that keeps it open on Friday as well.
Orlandini said conversations with Creswell City Manager Vincent Martorello also favored the option that keeps the Creswell station open as much as possible.
“I am pleased that the Creswell Transfer Station will remain open, and I appreciate the Commissioners’ recognition of its importance to our community. I also recognize that County staff have faced difficult budgetary and operational challenges,” Martorello said.
“While the reduction in operating days will undoubtedly inconvenience our residents, I appreciate the Commissioners’ decision to keep the transfer station open. Our community will adapt to the revised schedule, and maintaining local access remains an important outcome.”
Walton resident Dylan Helphingstine took to social media to voice his concerns about the closure of his local station. The Walton Transfer Site will close permanently on Aug. 10.
“Now I will have to drive roughly 35 miles round trip to Veneta instead of roughly four miles round trip,” he wrote. “I am really having a hard time understanding this decision, as it will impact a lot of people, especially the elderly. Not to mention, it will for sure cause some people to dump illegally.”
Orlandini said changes would go into effect starting Aug. 10.
“We want to give notice to people so they know what’s coming and they know when their hours might change, they know if days may change, and if closures are coming,” he said. “We do not want to make those changes in a day or a week.”
The Creswell Transfer Site will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, but will be open on Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Veneta Transfer Site will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
