The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
Household garbage will no longer be accepted, yard and construction waste still permitted
The Moorcroft Town Council approved the unpopular-yet-inevitable closure of the municipal landfill at Monday’s meeting.
As of July 1, the landfill will no longer accept household garbage from individuals or contractors, but will continue to accept yard waste, construction/demolition (C&D) waste and dead animals.
According to Public Works Director Cory Allison, the schedule for times and fees for dumping these items has yet to be set, but will be made public before the closure date.
Along with possible restrictions on the burn pit and the dead animal trench, there are clear definitions of C&D waste set by the state, advised Mayor Ben Glenn, and those who want to avail themselves of this pit are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these classifications before attempting to dump in the future.
Glenn said of the closure, “It has been a very long time that we’ve been trying to keep this thing moving forward.” Glenn recollects the first discussions regarding saving the landfill taking place as far back as 2012; however, Craig McOmie of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), with whom the town has been working on this effort for years, has records dating back to 2009.
Of these efforts, approaching the Crook County Commissioners was the council’s last attempt and Allison spoke to their failure to support the landfill.
“None of this would have happened if our county commissioners would have put this on the ballot for a vote for a mil levy. We would have been able to keep this open, but the county commissioners would not even put it on the ballot,” he said.
HDR Engineering’s Heath Turbiville reported the response of the DEQ to the application for a grant from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) that was initiated by the town to the State Land and Investment Board (SLIB) a couple weeks ago.
“They were glad that you went ahead with the loan…as you move forward with the C&D pit and closure,” he said.
The $250,000 will pay for the site inspection necessary to move forward with proper monitoring and other essential operations involved with the closure.
Councilman Dale Petersen commented, “It has been a long time working on the landfill with a lot of people involved…I appreciate all the effort that was put into it. It’s unfortunate we’re in this situation, but I think we did everything we could do – we just don’t have any choice right now.”