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Sophia Aldous
NEWPORT — To clarify: Yes, the solid waste scale at the Deer Valley Transfer Station is broken and has been for approximately three weeks. Yes, the county commissioners agreed to replace it as of Tuesday, April 14, and temporary rates are in place.
“It’s kaput,” said Carole Richardson, Pend Oreille County Public Works director, of the scale. “It’s about 32 years old and these usually only have a shelf life of about 20 years.”
Solid Waste director Amanda Griesemer told Richardson that employees at the transfer station have been using the same backup method to determine load costs that they use when power goes out, or when the scale is down for maintenance. In those instances, transfer station fees are calculated based on volume rather than weight, resulting in the same prices that the county charges at the Usk transfer station.
According to Griesemer, on a busy Saturday the Deer Valley station processes anywhere from $4,000 to $5,000 in disposal fees.
According to Richardson, the scale is unable to provide consistent and accurate weight readings. Brian Smiley, Pend Oreille County Commissioner chair, said the scale failed a recent certification test by Washington Weights and Measures. By state law and federal standards, any scale used for commerce must be certified.
Some constituents who felt they were overcharged for solid waste loads took to social media over the weekend to vent their frustrations.
“They need to fix it,” Debbee Lyons wrote on the Newport Wa. & surrounding areas Facebook group page on Monday. “They soaked us for double what I normally pay. That’s just wrong to gouge us on a fixed income.”
Other Newport residents, like Liz Coon, went to the commissioners’ office after she felt she had been unfairly charged for three separate dump runs over the past several weeks. Two cost her $20 and another cost her $43. After speaking with staff, she said she came away from the encounter feeling better.
“I was upset about it at first, but they were really polite and listened to what I had to say,” Coon said.
“They wanted to help and I think they will.”
Steps to replace the scale have been taken, but it’s estimated the project could take two to three months, including going out for bid. The total cost of the project is approximately $150,000, which will come from the solid waste fund.
“Amanda has been doing a good job of preparing for something like this, so I think we shouldn’t put thousands of dollars into temporary fixes and get it replaced,” commissioner John Gentle said at the Commissioners’ weekly meeting. Smiley and Commissioner Robert Rosencrantz agreed.
Temporary pricing for Deer Valley Transfer Station is six garbage cans or a pickup bed (1 cubic yard) is $14. Each additional bag can or 32–33-gallon trash bag is $4. Each additional cubic yard is $24. Large furniture items like mattresses and sofas are $20 each.
First two tires are $14 and each additional tire is $4.
Pend Oreille County residents who have utilized Deer Valley Transfer Station in the past month and believe they were overcharged should keep their receipts, as Griesemer is working on a solution to compensate customers. The solution will be presented to commissioners next week during their regular meeting.
SOPHIA MATTICE-ALDOUS IS A MURROW NEWS FELLOW WORKING DIRECTLY WITH NEWSROOMS AT THE NEWPORT MINER AND RANGE MEDIA THROUGH A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. HER REPORTING IS AVAILABLE FOR USE VIA CREATIVE COMMONS WITH CREDIT.
