Wednesday, July 26, 2023–11:49 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
In the past, depending on the time of day, it was pretty common to see traffic backups in the area of the Walker Mountain Landfill. It not only impacted trucks and other customers going into the landfill but other motorists who were just traveling the area would also get caught up in the traffic.
On Tuesday, Lee Stone, director of the Walker Mountain Landfill told the Rome-Floyd Solid Waste Commission that he believes the issue has been solved with the installation of a second set of scales, which allows for a quicker turnover time.
According to Stone, the scales have been up and operational for about four weeks, and the difference has been like night and day.
“The amount of traffic that is backing out into the street, up into Walker Mountain and down the road….There is none,” he said. “We have resolved all those issues. Now, the month of July is a little slower than what we were running in June, but all told, I think it’s a good indicator that we have done a great job of fixing a big problem that we have had for years.”
Stone spoke about the cost of the project.
“We had to dig a pit and do a lot of concrete work, build a ramp, and put the scales in,” he said. “All told, that was $125,000 that we paid to Wingfield Scales for that. They are the company that has put in our incoming scale. So, now they are operating both our scales, which is good for us.”
Another $25,000 was added for miscellaneous items such as the conversion of the break room into a scale house, which used to be upstairs in an adjoining building. Relocating the scale house to the lower floor is expected to simplify transactions.
“We’ve eliminated our tube system and our speakers that were continuously giving us problems,” Stone added. “That saves us quite a bit of money in repairs. It’s also easier to understand the customers. Now, it’s just like doing at the hamburger store. You just pull right up and you’re talking directly with the attendant.”
Lee stated that they were paying approximately $1,500 every quarter in maintenance for the tubes and speaker. That cost has now been eliminated.
Paying with credit cards at the landfill has also been simplified. Previously, there was a machine outside where the customer had to put in their own card. Now, the credit card machine is inside the building. All customers have to do is present the card to the attendant at the window, and they will run the card.
