GUILDERLAND — The town will be replacing the 40-year-old scale at its transfer station.

Thomas Valletta, the transfer station’s superintendent, told The Enterprise he expects it will cost between $95,000 and $125,000.

“It’s a major expense that nobody was expecting,” he said.

At its Feb. 3 meeting, the town board unanimously authorized issuing requests for proposals for the new scale and also allowed the use of the transfer station’s capital reserve funds to pay for it.

Valletta wrote in a memo to the board, “As this is an unforeseen circumstance, it was not included in our current operating budget, therefore this would be an emergency purchase to run the transfer station.”

“The foundation is structurally failing,” Valletta told the board. “In the past two months, we’ve spent over $6,000” trying to get the scale to pass inspection with the county’s Bureau of Weights and Measures. The inspection is required every two years.

“We’ve spent another $1,700 on two failed tests,” said Valletta.

He also told the board, “We’re still able to continue using the scale for the general public. We just can’t put any big tandem trucks or any big, big trucks over it.”

Supervisor Peter Barber said the town’s highway department might be able to help build ramps that are needed to come up to the scale’s height. He also said that the town engineer was working with Valletta to develop the specifications.

Valletta said the current scale is 70 feet long but the new one will be shorter at 40 feet.

He told The Enterprise this is because formerly a private company “would come in and haul out” recycled paper. “We had to load their trailer and then we had to make sure they weren’t going to be overweight,” he said.

Now, he said, the town uses Casella Hauling on Fuller Road. “So we bale everything in-house and then we load it on our trailer,” said Valletta. “So there’s no need to weigh the whole vehicle anymore. They weigh each individual bale over at their facility.”

Valletta said that the price the town gets for paper, if any, depends on the market. 

“Sometimes, we’re paying to get rid of the stuff; other times, we get a little check,” said Valletta. “It fluctuates from month to month.”

The recycled cardboard is the same as the paper, he said. “It goes to the same spot and depends on the market as well. Sometimes we’re paying; sometimes we’re getting a little check. Sometimes, it’s just a straight wash.”

“The metal, glass, and plastic,” Valletta said, “most of the time we pay to get rid of. Very seldom do we ever get any money for it.”

Valletta said the expected life of a scale is 15 to 20 years and the purchase of the current scale predates his tenure at the transfer station.

Valletta has worked for the town for 27 years, starting when he was 19. In October, he was named superintendent, supervising a crew of seven, after David Corey retired from the top post.

“It’s going pretty well,” Valletta said this week. “Dave made it a great transition … He taught me a lot of stuff before he left … I’ve had a couple of questions and he’s been more than willing to help me out, which was awesome.”

Most residents are well schooled in the ways of recycling, he said. “They’ve learned pretty well over time,” Valletta said. “The biggest thing is that material needs to be from the town of Guilderland. So that’s why we’re always checking.”

Private contractors are allowed to use the station but they have to be leaving material that came from the town of Guilderland, he stressed.

“We’re trying to do our best to keep everybody happy and keep the place looking nice for people,” he said.

He noted the difficulties of managing in the recent sub-zero temperatures with high winds. “Sometimes the wind gets going here pretty good and it’s tough to keep up on,” said Valletta, commending his crew for their work.

Valletta express to open bids on Feb. 24.

“My hope would be that, by the time we come back in March,” Supervisor Barber said, “you’ll have an entity selected and we’ll be awarding this bid.”

Other business

In other business at its Feb. 3 meeting, the Guilderland Town Board:

— Authorized a request for bids for chemicals used for producing potable water from 2026 to 2028;

— Appointed James Colonno as a police officer, bringing the number of officers to 44;

— Approved the promotion of Lieutenant Joseph DeVoe to the rank of captain and Officer Zachary Collen to the position of sergeant;

— Appointed Christina Carrow as administrative assistant in the Department of Parks and Recreation;

— Appointed Joshua Ackerly as a paramedic for Guilderland Emergency Medical Services; and

— Heard that Town Hall will be closed on Feb. 16 in observance of Presidents Day.