Staff writer
An existing quarry would be a good location for a proposed construction and demolition landfill, an engineer told Marion County Commission Monday.
Existing pits at Martin Marietta Quarry, northeast of Marion, would ease Kansas Department of Health and Environment concerns about water, said Jack Chappelle of Engineering Solutions & Design of Overland Park.
Rocky Hett of Marion is pursuing a construction and demolition landfill at the site and hopes to partner with Marion County on the project.
Commissioners have not decided whether to work with Hett or how such an arrangement would be set up.
Groundwater protection is the biggest issue KDHE considers for demolition landfills, Chappelle said. The quarry has multiple cells that gradually slope to one end. That would allow water to be pumped out of the low end of cells and used on-site for dust control or watering, Chappelle said. The pits also are more than 200 feet from the nearest stream.
Pits would hold about 800,000 cubic yards of debris. If they were filled at the same rate Marion County sends construction waste to landfills, it would take more than 200 years to fill.
Alternatively, the proposed landfill could accept out-of-county waste. Tipping fees of between $18 and $20 are competitive for such landfills, Chappelle said. He estimated it would cost $7-$10 per ton to operate the landfill.
Construction and demolition landfills can accept roofing materials, concrete, asphalt, wood, treated wood, and a variety of other building materials.
Chappelle said it would cost between $90,000 and $100,000 and take between 12 and 18 months to get a permit from KDHE.
In other business:
- Hedlund Electric of McPherson won a bid for installation of a generator at Marion County Courthouse. The winning bid was $62,418. Elcon Services of Hillsboro bid $82,500; Shelley Electric of Emporia, $67,250; H&L Electric of St. George, $95,000; Kansas Electric of Newton, $84,660. Dan Hall of BG Consultants originally estimated the project cost at $85,000.
- Commissioners met with representatives of Florence Emergency Medical Services to discuss discontinued pay for rescue truck drivers and consideration of Florence EMS responders. Marion County will reimburse the unit $500 for purchasing a full-body vacuu-splint.
- Marion County Road and Bridge Department will purchase 135 tires and tubes from Cardie Oil of Tampa for $43,059. Rod’s Tire of Hillsboro bid $45,272 for a selection of import tires and $50,614 for Firestone tires.
- Strain injuries account for the most workers’ compensation claims against the county, followed by motor vehicle accidents, said Carl Eyman of Kansas Workers Risk Cooperative for Counties. Road and Bridge Department consistently has the most claims. Safety training and defensive driving classes could significantly reduce claims against the county, Eyman said.
- Todd Siebert joined Road and Bridge Department as a bridge crewmember. He will earn $1,854 per month.
- Road and Bridge Superintendent John Summerville will prepare a list of high priority bridges to add to the county’s five-year plan for bridge replacement.
- Hillsboro Body Shop was awarded a bid for repainting a passenger car for $1,698 after Hillsboro Ford said it couldn’t offer a written five-year warranty on its work.
- Jim Schmidt of Goessel accepted a position on Planning Commission to replace Glen Unrau.