HHW program will continue; inventory being sorted out

McCOOK, Neb. – Red Willow County Commissioners have a plan for the future of Household Hazardous Waste collection, although discrepancies in inventory are a cause for concern.

Commissioners approved the appointment of Billie Cole as the HHW manager, and she will be added to the county’s payroll on a part-time basis. Cole is a member of the Red Willow Western Rural Fire Department, and as such, is a certified hazmat technician. The county will also add other members of the RWWRFD hazmat team to part-time payroll status, and those members will be helping Cole on hazardous waste collection days going forward. Cole and her crew have been working to clean up the collection site located at 108 West Railroad Service Road in McCook. They are making plans for a collection day/open house on Saturday, Oct. 7. Cole told the Gazette that they are planning to have a collection day on the first Saturday of every month.

Cole is very familiar with the hazardous waste program, as her father was instrumental in the creation of statewide household hazardous waste collections in 1996. He served Red Willow County as both weed superintendent and HHW manager for many years. Cole will be responsible for grants and other paperwork in the department, something she has done in the past to assist her father.

District 2 Commissioner Randy Dean has also been at the site and is concerned about the inventory of equipment provided to commissioners. “There’s a lot of stuff on that inventory list that’s not there. There’s also a lot more stuff that is there but never was on that inventory list,” Dean said. He has identified 20-25 items that were not included on the inventory list. “I have no idea how long it’s been since an inventory list was ever updated,” Dean said.

Some of the missing items may have been transferred to other departments in the county, and others may have become unusable and discarded. Dean is continuing to work through the inventory list and will provide an updated inventory when completed.

Going forward, Red Willow County will continue to offer a “regional” household hazardous waste site but will not pick up waste from the surrounding areas. Instead, the HHW site will be open one or two days per month, depending on demand. The county has contacted several agencies outside of southwest and central Nebraska to inform them that the county is discontinuing any pick-up services.

Commissioners are still looking for a Weed Superintendent, a part-time position appointed by commissioners. Dean and District 1 Commissioner Ted Gans have both been in conversations with individuals about the position, but so far have not found someone interested in taking on the responsibilities.

The county weed superintendent's duties include:

Being certified, in writing, by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture as a commercial applicator.

Examining all lands under the jurisdiction of the control authority to determine if the Noxious Weed Control Act and the rules and regulations are being complied with.

Compiling infestation data and other reports as the Director of Agriculture or control authority may require.

Supervising and carrying out the coordinated control program within the county.

Completing 20 hours of continuing education, annually.

Ascertaining and tabulating the approximate amount and location of land infested with noxious weeds in the county, annually.

Ascertaining and preparing information required by the county board for preparation of the county budget.

Both the HHW Director position and the Weed Superintendent position were formerly held by Josh Mullen, who resigned in August.

In other business, commissioners convened as a Board of Equalization to approve a tax roll correction for property owned by Shannon Carfield in Indianola. They also approved a tax exemption for a dump trailer owned by Community Hospital to be used for grounds maintenance.

In the consent agenda, commissioners authorized the chairman’s signature on a Drug and Alcohol Testing Agreement with Medical Enterprises Inc., and declared a 1997 Peterbilt semi in District 3 as a surplus item.