KNOX — The Knox Town Board found itself at an impasse during a special meeting held this week to figure out a plan for the transfer station, which is in disrepair, so a second meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, July 26, at 7 p.m.

The meeting on July 19 was adjourned shortly after it became clear that the board members needed more measurements from the site to figure out what can go where while leaving enough room for the transfer station employees to load collected waste into a truck. 

“It may take more than one more meeting,” Supervisor Russell Pokorny told the board. “There’s a lot to think about.”

The decades-old transfer station is in need of an overhaul because its foundation is in such poor condition that it can’t simply be reinforced, not to mention the sloping parking lot that allowed water to flow against the foundation and weaken it over time. 

As Pokorny described it, the town board has the option to either repair the transfer station bit by bit, or do a complete renovation all at once that would allow for fundamental improvements but be more expensive. 

During the meeting, Pokorny said that he had obtained a quote from one contractor, Falcon Roofing and Contracting, of $228,000 for most of the construction work that would be needed for a complete redo, but that the estimate didn’t include mechanical work for the compressor or a completed bathroom for the office area. 

Councilman Ken Saddlemire noted that the quote was devised without any formal drawings, bringing its accuracy into question, though all five board members seemed to acknowledge that it was cheaper than informal estimates they’ve heard, which go all the way up to $1.2 million. 

The problem with that solution — and what prevented the town board from moving forward with it — is that it may not leave enough room for the town truck to be loaded safely, with the driver of the town truck stating that the front of the truck would be halfway into the road in that plan. There’s also a high-tension wire that may get in the way, he told the board. 

As the board continues to work out a permanent solution, Pokorny reported the temporary set-up that the board put in place, with a trailer and two Dumpsters, is working adequately for the time being, though he acknowledged receiving a complaint from one resident who alleged he was not the only one upset. 

Nevertheless, the board members said they haven’t heard any serious complaints beyond that. 

Councilman Karl Pritchard, who runs an auto shop in the town, said, “People will stop in the garage but I haven’t had a complaint.”

“There’s no place to sit and chit-chat; you have to keep moving,” Councilwoman June Springer said. “That annoys some people.”

Pokorny told The Enterprise after the meeting that, initially, people moved through the new system inefficiently but have since adapted. 

“They were trying to do it single-file, which doesn’t really make sense because you’ve got several different places to drop off your stuff,” he said. “You can park to the side and take this here and that there and not be in a line, holding everybody up.”

For the most part, he said at the meeting, people understand that the situation is temporary as the board figures out its long-term plan. 

Pokorny said that the transfer station attendants have been especially helpful for people during this period. 

“One woman told me I should be ashamed for not giving them a raise ….,” he said. “I’ve gotten almost all positive feedback.”