Composting center could cost Pottstown $100K or more

POTTSTOWN — Despite a hefty price tag, Borough Council on Monday unanimously authorized the staff to continue talking to their counterparts at Lower Pottsgrove about a regional composting facility that has the potential to cost borough taxpayers between $100,000 and $175,000 a year."This isn't binding us to anything except continuing the conversation," Borough Council President David Garner said.That conversation was more detailed Sept. 3 when Borough Council debated the merits of joining with Lower Pottsgrove, which is also in discussions with Upper Pottsgrove, New Hanover and North Coventry.The cost split, arranged by Alyson Elliott, assistant township manager in Lower Pottsgrove, is divvied up by population, based on the 2000 census.At 21,859, the borough has the bulk of the population and thus, at $174,980, would shoulder the bulk of the set-up costs, according to the documents used by Elliott in explaining the project.Her own township comes in nearest the borough at $89,759 because of its 11,213 population in 2000.At 4,102, Upper Pottsgrove's costs would be the lowest - $32,836.In 2009, Pottstown would again shoulder the largest burden for operating costs at $99,210 and by 2010, would be hit with a bill of $161,726.Councilman Stephen Toroney said a facility whose costs are determined by how much material it has to compost should charge based on who is bringing in the most material."Yards in Pottstown are much smaller than yards in these more widely developed townships, they are not going to be generating the same amount of grass clippings or tree branches or brush that yards in Lower Pottsgrove are going to create," Toroney said."It does seem a little unequal," said Don Read, chairman of the borough's Environmental Advisory Council.The costs should be based on tonnage, Toroney said, because that is the element that will determine the costs. But Pottstown is not in a position to just walk away, said Toroney and Assistant Borough Manager Jason Bobst.Bobst told the council that because Pottstown does not have a "drop-off" area for compost, the state is withholding money the borough earned through its recycling efforts. As of right now, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has about $50,000 of Pottstown's money, Bobst said.It's all part of the state's effort to keep compostable material out of landfills where space is dwindling."We have to get rid of the stuff," said Toroney."I think we'd better find our own piece of ground," said Councilman Mike Wenzel."Even if we decided to start our own, it's going to be costly," Read said Monday.According to Elliott's estimates, the facility, planned for a farm site at the corner of Bleim Road and Route 663, would cost as much as $1.2 million - a cost she hopes to cut with grant funding.Costs could drop further if East Coventry and Limerick, which have begun to express interest, end up joining the facility.As envisioned, residents of all participating municipalities would be able to drop off their yard waste at the center, which would be open on the weekends, for free.

Pottstown Mercury - 09/10/08 - http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=20113704&BRD=1674&PAG=461&dept_id=635482&rfi=8