“And we understand how hard it is to do, frankly, when it’s not your primary business and it’s not front-and-center for you. It can be a pain in the ass…”
I shared that little quote yesterday in Part One of the editorial series. The person speaking was Jeff Kendall, a partner with Laurel Mountain Partners — an east-coast investment group that, as of 2021, owns Bruin Waste Management in Colorado, and that recently merged with locally-owned Elite Recycling & Disposal. Mr. Kendall was addressing the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners and a few of their staff on a Tuesday, November 14, work session.
Bruin Waste now runs various operations in a number of Western Slope towns, including Telluride, Ridgway, Montrose, Naturita, Nucla, Norwood, Delta, Grand Junction, Palisade, Parachute, Silverton, and Silt, among others. And now, Pagosa Springs.
The proposal being laid on the BOCC’s conceptual table: Would the commissioners like to consider letting the team of Bruin Waste/Elite Recycling take over the operations of the Archuleta County Landfill?
Given that running a landfill, in the 21st century, can be a pain in the ass?
The proposal was very ‘conceptual’ on November 14. No dollar amounts were suggested. No preferences were expressed about who would write the checks for future landfill employees. No suggested fee increases were talked about.
But we could tell that the commissioners were interested in the idea. County Manager Derek Woodman also sounded interested… so long as the current staff would be retained. (Assuming the current staff wants to be retained?)
If you’d like some background on how Mr. Kendall’s company got involved in buying (and then selling) solid waste businesses using tax-exempt bonds, you can listen to this podcast on Waste 360.
Commissioner Ronnie Maez:
“I think further discussion is necessary. I mean, after all, the County is not obligated by state statute to have a landfill. One thing I would be concerned about: who would retain ownership of the property?”
This question relates to the fact that, after a landfill reaches capacity and gets closed down, the property owner is responsible for certain maintenance and monitoring actions… forever. County attorney Todd Weaver suggested that the ongoing cost probably varies widely; perhaps the BOCC would like to contact La Plata County and gather some information.
This is in fact a rather timely concern. According to County Manager Woodman, the Archuleta landfill will likely reach capacity within the next eight years. As far as I’ve heard, no replacement site has been identified.
Commissioner Maez:
“One of the things I’d like to see, probably, if it moves forward, is the fees. If we could retain some of the fees and obligate some of that for the County for future obligations that the County might have.”
Mr. Kendall:
“Our philosophy, what we talked about with Derek, is we really want to be partners with you guys, because this is our expertise; making sure everything is done right… making sure we look at the new landfill and making sure the best decisions are made. And taking that work off of you guys. That’s what we do, on a day-to-day basis…”
Commissioner Maez:
“How would the… if this was to change over, anything, would this reflect on the public? In terms of that they would be paying for costs for disposal?
Mr. Kendall reminded the commissioners that Bruin Management and Elite Recycling are currently paying the same disposal fees as the other area waste haulers. (At least, for the time being.)
“I think we aren’t far enough in the process to understand all the details yet, but our… we’re paying disposal fees just like everyone else. So we’re not motivated to raise prices, right? We would treat it just like… to be fair to the public, and fair to the commercial waste haulers, and… so, yeah.”
Commissioner Veronica Medina:
“I assume you’ve visited the facilities? Have you visited the [transfer station] in Arboles?”
Chris Tanner, owner of Elite Recycling, replied that he’s been to the Arboles facility, but has not yet shown it to Mr. Kendall, nor to the general manager of Bruin Waste Management, Chris Trosper.
Commissioner Medina:
“Because Arboles would be included as well?… My concern would be equipment. So, the one piece of equipment is the compactor. But we’ve discussed acquiring other equipment for the landfill. Is that something you’re looking at acquiring?
“And the price per ton. Whatever that might be. Again, is it really going to cover our costs? We want to be good partners, but hopefully it would benefit the County if we did move forward? I’d want to make sure that whatever costs that we have — hard costs — that gets covered. Obviously for the County, it’s never been about making money; it’s about providing the service…”
Commissioner Warren Brown expressed his desire that the current landfill — once it gets reclaimed — does not end up as an eyesore. He then asked whether the BOCC would continue giving input on the setting of fees, and how that process works at the other landfills operated by Bruin Waste Management. His third concern was about the days and hours of operation. Mr. Kendall did not see the hours being reduced; he thought the BOCC might be able to continue their involvement in setting fees. Mr. Tanner suggested that the current landfill would likely continue to look like a reclaimed landfill, but to make it blend in as much as possible with the surround landscape.
Commissioner Medina:
“So knowing — I assume you know — that the life of the current landfill is — I don’t know, six years? Eight years?”
County Manager Woodman suggested eight years. “Part of the agreement will be, that the County will continue moving forward with potential options,” he said.
Mr. Kendall stated that Bruin Management would likely be willing to help open a future landfill. “We’re looking at this for the long term, honestly. This landfill, the next one, whatever shakes out, we want to continue to be a partner…”
The discussion ended with an agreement to continue talking about a potential partnership.