Write a commentOSWEGO COUNTY – The Oswego County Department of Solid Waste (DSW) announced an update about repair projects at the Oswego Transfer Station, 700 E. Seneca St., after the fire that occurred there last month. Officials also released a tentative timeline for its re-opening.
“We are looking at completing three separate projects in order to get the Oswego Transfer Station back up and running,” said Oswego County Legislator Stephen M. Walpole, District 14, chairman of the Legislature’s Infrastructure and Facilities Committee. “First, we’re working with GYMO Architecture, Engineering and Land Surveying DPC out of Watertown to put together a comprehensive report with the necessary repairs from the fire, which will also include the floor of the main push pit. Finally, we’ll take this time to also replace the weigh scale at the entrance of the facility.”
Related story: Oswego Fire Department Responds to Fire at Transfer Station
Oswego County Solid Waste Director Michael Lutestanski, II, explained that repairs in the first project will include removing and replacing fire-damaged studs, drywall, insulation, the HVAC system and other electrical components.
“The second project we’re going to address is the main push pit, which was originally installed in 1997,” he said. “The structural steel for the pit appears to be in good shape; however, there are some components that need to be replaced. The push plate is worn, the slides are broken and the floor is very thin and cracked in multiple places.
“We’ve repaired and patched it many times over the last 30 years, but now it’s due for a more permanent fix,” Lutestanski continued. “The entire pit floor needs all that patchwork removed, and new steel and wear plates installed.”
The third project is the replacement of the weigh scale, which was originally installed in the 1990s and re-built in 2011.
“We had to de-rate the scale earlier this summer due to corrosion of its frame and deck,” said Lutestanski. “Being closed for these other repairs provides us with the unexpected opportunity to install a new scale now; allowing us to be more efficient with the downtime and ensuring that it doesn’t create a safety issue or require another shutdown down the line.”
With a better idea of what is needed, the County expects to send these projects out to bid by the end of September and, if all goes well, award the jobs at the Legislature’s Infrastructure and Facilities Committee meeting in early October.
Work would begin shortly after that, with the schedule dependent on the availability of both the contractor, crew and materials. Weather would be an added factor in the replacement of the weigh scale.
Despite these variables, the County aims to complete these steps and have the Oswego Transfer Station re-opened by the end of November.
