By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
Replacement of the vehicle scale at the town’s Recycling Center is being done after a delay pushed the project back almost a month.
According to Department of Public Works Director Mark Hollowell, the project is being done by Fairbanks Scales and began on Dec. 14. Hollowell said the delay came when the new deck for the scale was sent to be galvanized, only for the company doing the work to inform him that it would take three weeks to complete. Work was originally slated to begin Nov. 23 and completed by Dec. 17.
“I want to get it galvanized so it will last longer,” he said on Friday.
Hollowell said that the galvanization is now complete. Back at the center, other parts of the scale are being removed and replaced. Some are as old as 1975 and badly rusted. The new scale will be installed on Dec. 29. Following calibration and testing by the state Department of Weights and Measures, it should be approved for use by Jan. 10.
The scale is not the only DPW project that has seen delays. A sidewalk was supposed to be installed on Arnold Road, but Hollowell was informed by the contractor in September that asphalt wouldn’t be available until December. Work like this can’t be done in the cold weather, as it can freeze and crack or be stopped by snow, and so the sidewalk will be installed in the spring.
“There’s a long lead time with delays in materials and services,” said Hollowell.
While the work is being done, the scale cannot be used. Vehicles will be unable to be weighed, and so items that normally go over the scale such as couches, non-town bagged trash, wood and metal cannot be accepted.
“The Recycling Center will otherwise remain open the normal days and times to accept Freon-bearing appliances, white goods, propane tanks, electronics, TVs, tires, mattresses/box springs, light bulbs, town bagged trash, and recycling,” a notice on the town web site stated.
The project is estimated to cost $145,000, being paid for through a combination of a town article and the Solid Waste Reserve Fund. The cost was driven up due to the rising price of steel.
“It’s emergent that we get it done,” said Hollowell in November.
The scale has been at the center since the 1970s and rotted parts necessitated its replacement. A Request for Proposals was issued in June, with the goal to procure a replacement pit-type truck scale used for weighing trash that is brought into the center. In addition, the town would enter into a three-year contract for annual maintenance or replacement of the scale through June 30, 2024.
Replacement of the scale has been of increased importance as of late, with many residents doing work on their houses during the pandemic.
