If you’ve got an old refrigerator that you’ve been meaning to take to the town’s Transfer Station, you might want to do that before July 1. On that date, fees for some items that residents must pay to dispose of using a “punch card” will go up. The disposal fee for items currently $15 will increase to $20, and the fee for items currently $5 will increase to $10.
Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro told the Board of Selectmen at its April 25 meeting that she had reviewed the current fees with DPW Director Tim Kilhart and discovered that it costs more to dispose of some items, such as tires and old TVs, than the Transfer Station charges. The increases will go into effect the same day that new annual Transfer Station stickers are required. The full list of $15 and $5 items can be found on the town website at http://bit.ly/2oMGvfA.
Last April, the selectmen agreed that residents should be able to use credit or debit cards to pay disposal fees at the Transfer Station, and at this week’s meeting, they asked Town Administrator Tim Bragan when that system will be available. Currently, residents must purchase punch cards at Town Hall, and the cards expire every year, resulting in some residents paying for more than they use. Bragan said the holdup is due to a legal issue with Charter Communications. He explained that the plan is to connect the Transfer Station to the town’s fiber-optic network to avoid monthly Charter internet fees. When the town negotiated a new contract with Charter in 2015, Charter committed to setting up a dedicated fiber-optic network between town buildings, but the company is fighting the town’s requested connection to the Transfer Station.
The town harbormaster, Bob O’Shea, happened to be at the selectmen’s meeting and asked if the town beach could begin using a credit card system this summer since Wi-Fi is available there. Bragan said that could be done, and Sobalvarro advised the selectmen to have someone from the Parks and Recreation Commission contact Bragan to set it up.
