Two Island Trash Districts Consider Partnership

By MANDY LOCKE

A decade after Tisbury and Oak Bluffs pulled out of the Islandwide
trash district in the midst of a bitter political battle, officials from
both districts are discussing a renewed partnership.

The moment comes as the Martha's Vineyard Regional Refuse and
Resource Recovery District takes a step toward privatization - a
business model Tisbury and Oak Bluffs adopted in their split from the
district in 1993. Tisbury and Oak Bluffs are nearing the end of a
contract with Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI). Now is the time, some
officials say, for the two districts to get back together -
leveraging all the Island's trash, construction debris and
recycling for a better deal.

"We've been probing various approaches to an Islandwide
refuse and recycling solution for the last four years. This seems like
the right moment. But it's a complex process to wade
through," said Fred LaPiana, Tisbury's department of public
works director, in a conversation with the Gazette this week. Mr.
LaPiana is Tisbury's point person in the town's dealings
with BFI.

The potential reunification makes good financial sense, some
officials say. Mainland trash handlers will be lured by a contract
promising nearly 30,000 tons of trash, construction debris and recycling
each year. The district handles 14,000 tons, while Tisbury and Oak
Bluffs jointly generate 12,000 to 15,000 tons. A mainland operator
curious about the Island market took a tour of the Edgartown transfer
station Tuesday morning; Oak Bluffs and Tisbury officials were along for
the show and tell.

"Rejoining the regional effort would work best. We would do
well with a higher volume of trash. But there are definite sticking
points. The way the district operates and the way we run is very
different. We're not very interested in a big
administration," said Richard Combra Jr., Oak Bluffs highway
superintendent. Mr. Combra deals with solid waste issues for Oak Bluffs.

But the regional refuse district, which handles trash for Edgartown
and the up-Island towns, is moving toward eliminating the administrative
middleman in the coming year. Last month, the district voted unanimously
to have a consultant help them draft a request for proposals for a
turn-key operation. If the district continues down this path, the
regional trash handler would hire a private company to run the
operation.

"It all started during the budget process. We're jumping
$12 a ton from this year to next. We had a responsibility to look at an
alternative structure," said Larry Mercier, a representative from
Edgartown to the refuse district.

Over the last few years, the district has wrestled with mounting
debt and rising costs. This past year, district leaders have whittled
down a deficit of about a half-million dollars. While district leaders
say the operation's finances are now in better shape, steep price
hikes in the coming year are unavoidable with the closure of the
Chilmark landfill. Nearly 3,000 tons of construction and demolition
debris formerly buried in the landfill must now be trucked off with the
rest of the district's rubbish - a shift in business
operation expected to cost the district about $200,000 a year.

Something's got to give, Mr. Mercier said. Taking
administrative overhead out of the equation would save the district
about $200,000. It is a reasonable solution, he said, but getting there
might be more complicated.

"[Privatizing] may mean restructuring district contracts with
the towns, and it won't be an easy process," said Mr.
Mercier.

At least one other district leader is not sure eliminating the
district's management is the way to go.

"It's been considered one of the strengths of the
district that the towns had control over their trash," said
Richard Skidmore, Aquinnah representive to and chairman of the district
committee.

"Having a private company in charge of four towns' trash
- that to me is a middleman who requires a profit," Mr.
Skidmore added.

Elimination of administrative costs was the battle cry of Tisbury
and Oak Bluffs officials leading the effort to pull out of the district
in 1993. Privatization, Mr. Combra and Mr. LaPiana agreed, has worked
for their towns - both from the standpoint of cost and efficiency.

While the two districts' contrasting business models makes
comparing their bottom lines difficult, the per-ton residential costs
for the two groups actually were within a dollar this year. In both
trash districts, customers pay a fee when they drop off their trash. But
regional refuse district towns also pay an assessment - used to
cover administrative costs, debt service, hazardous waste disposal and
recycling. Town assessments next year exceed $700,000. Even if the
regional refuse district is privatized, they will still be on the hook
for capital costs associated with capping the Chilmark and Edgartown
landfills.

In Tisbury and Oak Bluffs, some tax dollars are directed through the
highway department and department of public works to deal with trash. In
Tisbury, public works employees run the local dump and pick up
residential trash weekly. That labor costs Tisbury about $125,000 a
year. Any needed capital improvements to dumps in Tisbury and Oak Bluffs
are paid for with a surcharge on trash. Each month, Mr. LaPiana said,
the town of Tisbury receives a check from BFI - a refund of $3 per
every ton collected.

Mr. Mercier said the district could copy that model to help pay off
its $2 million of debt for the transfer station near the airport.

Officials in both districts admit they are far from making any
formal arrangements to collaborate. Tisbury and Oak Bluffs selectmen
voted Tuesday night to extend their BFI contract for one year, time
enough to arrange a joint move with the regional refuse district in the
year ahead.

Another hurdle to jump is resolution of a lawsuit lingering from the
1993 split. The district is demanding $100,000 from Oak Bluffs -
money they say the town agreed to pay to help cap the Edgartown landfill
when it left the Island wide district. The lawsuit is making its way
through court.

Getting back together will likely be easier than breaking up. Most
don't even remember why the towns split up a decade ago. A search
for the cheapest and cleanest way to deal with nearly 30,000 tons of
unwanted debris will drive this collaboration.

"I don't think there are bad feelings anymore, and there
haven't been for years. This is strictly a business decision.
There's got to be a better way to process our Island's
trash," said Mr. LaPiana.