By Andreas Yilma, Staff Writer
NAUGATUCK — Officials are ready to open a new, temporary transfer station.
The borough is relocating the transfer station from 226 Rubber Ave. to the former Risdon property at 34 Andrew Ave. Public Works Director James Stewart said the temporary site is expected to open July 2.
Assistant to the Director of Public Works Sandra Lucas-Ribeiro, who will also be the onsite manager for the transfer station, said not much is going to change.
“I believe that, given the size of the location, we’re able to organize the location a lot better and it’s not visible from the road which has a nice impact over on the Rubber Avenue area,” Lucas-Ribeiro said during a virtual informational meeting on June 16.
The transfer station will be open an additional day for several months. The regular hours are Thursdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The department plans to open the transfer station Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. between April and September.
“We’re trying to combat the illegal dumping by adding an extra day,” Lucas-Ribeiro said.
The borough also plans to add bulk collection days on the first and third Saturday from January through March.
Stewart said the extra day on Tuesdays will cost $12,000 in salaries, and the additional bulk collection days will cost $2,200.
Stewart said the department plans to move equipment from the site on Rubber Avenue to the new site this week. He said there’s $60,000 in the budget to relocate the transfer station. Officials have a permit from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for the temporary station, he said.
The transfer station at the corner of Rubber Avenue and Andrew Avenue is on a 1.76-acre lot. The Risdon property, which the borough owns, is a 12-acre lot. Officials said the size of the temporary station will help get people in and out faster, and avoid traffic backups on Rubber Avenue.
Officials plan to sell the site on Rubber Avenue.
The site on Andrew Avenue will be temporary. Officials are still proposing to build a new transfer station on a 13.4-acre parcel of land off School Street Extension. Officials are working on the design for the new center before seeking a permit from DEEP, Stewart said.
Correction: The transfer station’s regular hours are Thursdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. An earlier version of this story reported the regular hours incorrectly.
