Landfill Scale House Project Begins Construction, Targeted for April Completion

Construction has begun on a new scale house at the Salina landfill, with work getting underway this week, a project official told the Solid Waste Management Committee on Aug. 13.

The official said Vogts Construction was selected as the prime contractor for the project. Under Excavating was named as the dirt contractor, and Saline Scale will manufacture the scale. A number of subcontractors are working under Vogts Construction.

All trees along the entrance road have been removed, and power poles are set to be transferred to the north side of the road to make room for the scale house on the south side of the entrance road. The official said fencing would be coming down to accommodate raising the elevation for the new road and scale house.

Crews were expected to begin installing culvert pipe at the main entrance of the new road early the following week, with dirt hauling using tractor pan scrapers anticipated by midweek. The contract calls for completion by April 1 of next year.

Committee members asked whether trees, including cedars, would be replanted. The official said replanting was not part of the current project plan but that staff would likely look at adding cedars back in the future because they provide a windbreak and screening for the facility. A committee member who identified as a biologist noted that cedars are native but can take over grassland areas without prairie fires, and suggested alternatives such as Osage orange. The official said staff would likely look at upgrading landscaping on the south side while ensuring plantings on the north side stay clear of power lines.

Asked about the old scale, officials said its disposal falls to the contractor and that metal parts would be recycled while concrete portions may be broken up and recycled if free of wire.