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Bridge Bond
Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District
Landfill Access Road / Bridge Bond
November 7, 2006 Bridge Bond Vote Passed
The ballots are tallied and the yeas prevailed with 55% of the vote.
Of the 9049 ballots delivered by the ten district town clerks, 664 were blank or spoiled leaving 8385 valid ballots counted by the town clerks and district supervisors.
4633 votes were recorded in favor with 3752 opposed.
The Landfill Access Road bridge Bond passed with 55% margin in favor, 45% opposed.
To the residents of Bridgewater, Hartland, Norwich, Pomfret, Sharon, Strafford, Thetford, Vershire, West Fairlee and Woodstock, the member communities of the Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District (GUV):
On November 7th, residents of our ten member communities voted to finance construction of a bridge across Interstate 91 to provide access to GUV's proposed landfill site in North Hartland. Over the past 14 years, GUV has acquired the land and obtained all necessary permits to construct the 40-acre landfill. This $1.5 million bond issue, which is to be paid for by 'user fees' (future landfill tipping fees), not property taxes, will provide the bridge necessary to gain access to the landfill site from Route 5 (see map), a crucial step toward developing the landfill.
GUV's statutory responsibility is to provide a long-term solution for the disposal of its member communities' municipal solid waste. This landfill has been designed to provide at least 50 years of disposal capacity.
The construction of the bridge, financed by the bond, and an access road, constructed and financed entirely by Twin State Sand and Gravel (TSS&G), whose property abuts GUV's, will satisfy Act 250 permit conditions which require "substantial progress toward completion" of the project by July, 2007.
In addition, Twin State Sand and Gravel will make the principal and interest payments for the bond for the first five years, after which GUV will begin to reimburse the mining company through user fees at no interest.
IMPORTANT FACTS
User fees, not property taxes: Both the bridge over Interstate 91 and the 40-acre landfill will be financed by user fees, such as landfill tipping fees, and will not be added to local property taxes. TSS&G will pay the principal and interest on the bond for 5 years and then pay the interest until the landfill is in operation, at which time GUV, again through user fees, will repay TSS&G at no interest.
ACT 250: The construction of the I-91 bridge will satisfy Act 250 requirements to show "substantial progress toward completion", of the project by July, 2007.
50-year solution: GUV member communities will be able to control the rising cost of trash disposal by developing this landfill, which has been designed to provide disposal capacity for member towns for the next 50 years.
Access road and bridge: GUV will construct the bridge over I-91 and TSS&G, whose lands abut the 175 acres owned by the solid waste district, will construct the 1.3 mile access road linking Route 5 with GUV lands and company lands between I-91 and the Connecticut River. This will allow TSS&G to divert trucks from downtown White River Junction, where truck traffic has been a controversial issue for many years.
This major public works project is too large for any individual area town to undertake on its own. Cooperation is needed to solve this long term regional issue. For more information, contact your local district representative (see below) or the district offices at 296-3688.
Have questions, concerns, comments?
Contact the GUVSWD office at 296-3688 or guvswd@valley.net,
or contact your town's representative:
| Town | Representative on Board of Supervisors | | Bridgewater | Nelson Lee, Jr., Vice-Chair, 457-1159
alternate Stephen Tarleton, Sr. | | Hartland | Robert Stacey, 436-2119
alternate Frank Hastings | | Norwich | Stephen J. Soares, 649-0127
alternate Nancy Kramer | | Pomfret | Vernon Clifford, 603-646-4414
alternate Steve Johnson | | Sharon | Garfield (Gary) Barnes, 763-8408
alternate Theodore Jeremenko | | Strafford | Stephen Willbanks, Chair, 765-4530
alternate Judy Bowden | | Thetford | Ben Bradley, 785-4245
alternate James Masland | | Vershire | Tom Griffith,333-4117
alternate vacant |
| West Fairlee | Russ Bragg, 333-4620
alternate Gloria Mann | | Woodstock | Philip Swanson, 457-3456
alternate David Murison |
What is the Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District?
The Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District is a union
municipal district dedicated to providing solid waste management authority,
services, and planning to its member towns. The District was chartered in 1990 and currently serves ten Vermont towns.
What does the District do?
Long-term disposal capacity and planning
The North Hartland landfill (and its access road bridge) that is being developed by the District is part of long-term plan to provide convenient and cost-effective disposal capacity for its member municipalities' waste. The landfill will serve as an important asset to the region.
The District also assists member towns with technical assistance for their transfer stations and recycling centers, and provides membership in the Northeast Resource Recovery Association which gives towns access to low-cost, high-quality marketing of recyclables.
Waste Reduction, Recycling, & Educational Programs
The District provides direct service to member residents and businesses through a myriad of local programs:
Household Hazardous Waste. The District holds Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collections at least twice per year at no charge to residents and at direct cost to local businesses. And on an year-round basis, the District collects the following for recycling at their offices in North Hartland:
- fluorescent light bulbs,
- mercury-containing devices (such as thermometers and thermostats), and
- electronics (computers and TVs)
Recycling and Composting Bins. The District distributes discount composting and recycling bins to area households out of its offices in North Hartland.
Special Collections. The District holds special collections in the spring and the fall to provide residents with convenient ways to recycle (or dispose of) otherwise hard-to-handle wastes including:
- Scrap metal,
- Electronics (computers, televisions, office equipment),
- Tires,
- Bulky wastes,
- Used motor oil,
- Clothing,
- Books,
- And the District helps coordinate Green Up Day events.
Educational Programs. You may be familiar with the District's annual newspaper Green Guide with local recycling information and an A-to-Z guide on how to get rid of almost anything. The District also:
- Hosts an HHW education booth at the Hanover home show with the Upper Valley HHW Committee,
- Keeps a web site full of useful information (www.guvswd.org),
- Trains teachers in local schools on waste-related curriculum,
- Sponsors theater programs in schools provided through the Association of Vermont Recyclers,
- Campaigns for the reduction of illegal burning of household trash.
Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District
96 Mill Street, PO Box 58, No. Hartland, VT 05052-0058
Phone (802)296-3688 | Fax 281-7088 | E-mail GUVSWD@valley.net
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