The Town of Banff wants to construct a $1.2 million pre-engineered elevated waste and recycling facility in the industrial compound, which would also house a re-use it centre below.
The proposal would see construction of a pre-engineered modular waste/recycling platform in the town’s drop-off yard, where residents and businesses could drop materials such as metals, yard waste and tires down into roll-off bins below.
The facility would have dry and secure storage and work space underneath, including a re-use it centre where people could take unwanted items, including household furniture, to be sold to others instead of being hauled to the dump.
“You drive your vehicle up a ramp, throw off whatever items you have into the appropriate bins and drive home,” said Ken Crerar, the Town’s resource recovery supervisor.
Banff politicians unanimously gave the project a preliminary nod of approval at a service level review meeting, Monday (Nov. 30), but no decisions are final until capital budget deliberations get underway.
The project comes with a $40,000 pricetag for design next year and $1.2 million for building the following year. The facility would be debt funded.
Paul Godfrey, the Town’s operations manager, said a 30-year borrow, in addition to revenues generated at the facility, would more than offset the annual costs of paying back the principle and interest over 30 years.
“Although the sticker shock of $1.2 million is probably hard to look at, the beauty of the one we’ve priced, being a modular system made of concrete, is that the majority of the $1.2 million will be amortized over 80 years,” he said.
“So when you look at the annual cost, it’s approximately $15,000 a year and that could be offset by revenue generated from the yard itself.”
Mayor Karen Sorensen said she was having trouble with the cost.
“If only it was free. I think it’s fabulous. It’s fun to look at, it’s fun to think about and I’m sure it would be incredibly well used,” she said.
