CAPE ELIZABETH — The Planning Board is scheduled next month to review a site plan application for upgrades to the town’s Recycling Center.
The board on Tuesday held a workshop where initial plans for the upgrades were presented by Public Works Director Bob Malley and Megan McDevitt, of Portland-based engineering firm Woodard & Curran. They are expected to submit a final application in time for the Sept. 20 Planning Board meeting.
Voters on June 14 authorized spending $1.4 million to upgrade the Recycling Center, on Dennison Drive.
The Town Council approved the upgrades in February, but it also had to be approved by voters because, under the Town Charter, councilors can’t unilaterally approve expenditures of more than $1 million.
The upgrades were recommended by the Solid Waste and Recycling Long Range Planning Committee, which was formed in December 2014, to find a solution for improving safety and traffic flow at the center.
The push for increased safety followed the death of former Public Works Director Herbert Dennison, who was killed Nov. 24, 2014, when he was knocked into the center’s two-story trash hopper by a car backing up to the hopper.
The committee recommended that the hopper building be used for electronic waste, an office, the town’s radio communications system, and for stationary outdoor trash compactors for residents to use. There will be multiple lanes for forward-moving traffic only at the compactors, where residents will dispose of trash and recyclables.
There will also be a by-pass lane for residents who want to proceed to the Swap Shop, Bottle Shed, or other areas at the center, and traffic islands to separate the Swap Shop and Bottle Shed from traffic leaving the center.
According to McDevitt, town officials hope to have the plan finalized and approved by the Planning Board by the end of the year so the project can go out to bid in early 2017. She said work is expected to start in April and should take 60-90 days to complete.
Kate Gardner can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or kgardner@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @katevgardner.
A site plan application for redesign of the town’s Recycling Center is scheduled to go before the Planning Board next month.
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