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126 <br />11 <br />to operate after the closure of the landfills, revenues associated with those operations will <br />be available to pay fund obligations. <br />Future Solid Waste Collection and Disposal Options <br />The Interlocal Agreement obligates the County to provide the Town with two year's notice to <br />terminate the Agreement. To date, the Town has not received official notice. The Orange <br />County Commissioners have expressed their intent to close the landfill as early as the spring of <br />2013, which, in the absence of an alternative provided by the County (for example, a transfer <br />station), would effectively constitute a termination of the Agreement as to solid waste. In light <br />of this development, the Town has begun proactively exploring alternative options for solid <br />waste disposal, as well as ways of increasing efficiency with solid waste collection. <br />To that end, The Public Works Department put out a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to <br />provide the Town with a Comprehensive Review of Solid Waste Collection and Disposal <br />Options in November 2011. We hope to select a vendor by mid - February 2012. Additionally, in <br />anticipation of the potential need to haul our solid waste to the Durham Transfer Station, Town <br />staff also conducted a two -week pilot program transporting residential and commercial solid <br />waste to the Durham Transfer Station. Key findings of the pilot program are as follows: <br />The average travel distance to and from the transfer station is approximately 18 miles <br />one -way, adding about an hour of off -route travel time per trip. During peak hours the <br />wait time at the transfer station may be slightly greater than those experienced during the <br />pilot. <br />The vehicles participating in the pilot program experienced no maintenance issues on the <br />way to or from the Durham Transfer Station. We believe that the programmed allowance <br />for additional maintenance associated with the mileage is still reasonable at this time. <br />Total additional costs moving forward will depend on decisions made relative to collection and <br />disposal options. If we begin hauling solid waste to Durham, estimated additional annual costs <br />resulting from the increase in hauling distance would be between $500,000 and $600,000. <br />An additional consideration is the increased safety risk to our employees and the liability to the <br />Town of placing fully loaded solid waste vehicles and drivers on an interstate highway. <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />That the Council receive this report and its attachments. <br />