(File photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

Melfort borrowing

Melfort council approves borrowing of up to $6 million to decommission landfill

Jul 9, 2024 | 12:11 PM

Melfort’s Council passed a bylaw allowing the city to borrow up to $6 million to deal with the landfill.

The Landfill Decommission & Construction Borrowing Bylaw was passed at Monday’s council meeting.

“It’s required because our existing site is coming to an end in terms of air space but also because…the Ministry of Environment requires us to build the new landfill to…better standards,” City Manager Adam Homes told northeastNOW. “Basically what we’re trying to do is contain all the water so nothing’s leaching into the groundwater, there’s no surface runoff with the new cell, so everything’s contained on-site.”

Homes said the decommissioning and construction comes with a major expense, so that’s why the borrowing was needed. Many communities across the province are facing similar projects and expenses as it pertains to their landfill, and Homes said the good news for Melfort is they have a site adjacent to the existing landfill that will serve their needs.

“It’s going to meet our best practices, meet all the environmental regulations, and provide us with a waste facility for the next 50 to 60 years,” added Homes.

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He said the city will go through the province to borrow money at a very competitive rate.

Decommissioning will take place over the next few years. The new landfill site will be constructed over the next year, according to Homes, and the city will take some of the waste at the current site to the new location. The existing landfill will then be slowly closed.

“We compact it with a clay layer and then some black dirt and just encapsulate the old cell.”

At Monday’s meeting, Council also signed off on a policy that provides administration with a framework that deals with requests for water and sewer servicing on properties outside city limits.

“This will allow us to provide services for any type of commercial or residential development, but more likely commercial development, that’s happening on the periphery of the city,” explained Homes.

Council also approved the Melfort Wood Carvers request to build a fourth archway at Spruce Haven Park.

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Cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @northeastNOW_SK