If you have been longing to run the solid waste transfer station on San Juan Island, now is your chance.
Beginning July 18, San Juan County will accept proposals to lease the transfer station on Sutton Road. The property that will be put up for lease to a qualified vendor, who will be expected to provide some solid waste disposal services, includes both the town-owned site which is used now for self-haul and an adjacent, undeveloped property owned by the county.
On Tuesday, July 10, the County Council approved a “request for proposals” that outlines the qualifications and experience applicants must have. The RFP also lists the variety of services, proposed improvements, costs to the public, number of local jobs created, among other stipulations, expected at the site, as well as outlining the financial capacity of those seeking to lease the transfer station should have.
Based on the level of interest in the RFP for the Orcas Island transfer station, county Public Works Director Frank Mulcahy is optimistic that the San Juan Island RFP will also draw a number of proposals from qualified applicants.
“We have been pleased with the response so far to the RFP we issued for the Orcas solid waste facility, so we are optimistic about finding a qualified lessor to provide services on San Juan Island,” Mulcahy said in a press release.
Any vendor leasing the San Juan site would have the option to keep self-haul operating as it is now for up to a year after a contract is signed. State health regulations require that solid waste is disposed of at appropriate and legal facilities. The vendor would be responsible for that transport and disposal.
The lessee would have that first year of the contract to repair and improve the site for providing their services and to obtain permits to continue to operate the site. Improvements to structures and paving are required to comply with health regulations and traffic concerns, and permits are required to safeguard public health.
The request for proposals will be released on July 18. After that, interested parties will have 72 days to provide their proposal to the county. Interested parties must attend a pre-proposal meeting and site visit. Selection criteria are written into the RFP so that anyone making a proposal will be able to see them.
