LANCASTER — The one year anniversary of Garrard-Lincoln Solid Waste Management Area provided cause for celebration at the Garrard County Fiscal Court meeting Tuesday.
Solid Waste Coordinator Chris Thomason gave his first annual report of the joint venture, which received about $266,000 worth of grants in 2010.
The previous year, when the solid waste departments were separate, Lincoln and Garrard counties brought in roughly a combined $50,500 in grants, Judge-Executive John Wilson said.
The department used this year’s influx of funds to add six new recycling drop-off points and purchase a baler that significantly sped up the processing of recycled materials, among other things.
Garrard-Lincoln solid waste was also recently awarded a grant to place crumb rubber mulch, which is proven to reduce injuries, on the playgrounds in Logan Hubble Park.
“These are grants we’re in the front of the line for because we’ve taken a regional approach,” Thomason said.
Along with securing much more grant money, Garrard-Lincoln solid waste brought in about $115,500 of its own from recycling commodities, Thomason said. That more than doubles the $42,500 Garrard’s solid waste department made by itself in 2009.
On top of rising revenues, increased efficiency allowed Thomanson to request about $4,000 less from Garrard County’s 2010-11 budget than the previous year. He said he expects this number to drop in the coming years.
“We’re going to keep whittling away, and hopefully we’ll get to the day when solid waste is taking zero,” Thomason said.
In the meantime the county will continue getting more service for less money.
Garrard’s former solid waste department picked up garbage along about 940 miles of road in 2009. But the Garrard-Lincoln department covered more than 1,380 miles in 2010, Wilson said.
Workers collected about 500 large bags of trash along Ky. 954 alone, Thomason said.
The department is also strengthening its relationship with schools.
Tuesday, the fiscal court voted to appoint Garrard County High School students Lee Johnson and Will Price to the Solid Waste Commission so they can easily seek help for school policy making, starting green clubs and applying for environmental grants, among other things, Thomason said.
Members of the fiscal court thanked Thomason for four years of exemplary service and Wilson noted, with a smile, that the only thing Thomason could improve is changing his goal of requesting nothing from the county to contributing back to the county.
Thomason didn’t shoot down the challenge.
“I’m committed to staying here and doing everything I can for you,” he said.
http://www.centralkynews.com/amnews/news/local/amn-garrard-celebrates-improvements-in-solid-waste-program-266k-in-grants-20110413,0,1316559.story
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