By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – We reported to you last week that Olympic Disposal LLC had withdrawn their application to get a Conditional Use Permit to build a waste transfer station and recycling facility in Carlsborg.
That was good news to opponents of the facility, which included the group Citizens for Carlsborg and the City of Port Angeles.
Not only that, but earlier this year County staff in the planning department recommended that Olympic Disposal’s Zoning Conditional Use Permit be denied.
But at Tuesday night’s Port Angeles City Council meeting, City Manager Nathan West asked the council to recommit themselves and officially oppose the building of the waste facility.
We asked West to explain what changed over the last week to make him think the project is still on.
“What we have learned is, the reason that it was withdrawn is because a building permit was actually issued for another Waste Connections property to the north under an older conditional use permit, that we believe has nothing to do with a transfer station, that would continue to allow that process to occur, which is not acceptable. When you consider the importance of due process, the need for a public hearing, the fact that that wasn’t contemplated in the 2017 consideration of the conditional use permit.”
West says the City is appealing the decision to try and stop it.
When the City of Port Angeles declined to renew their contract with Olympic Disposal, it was because staff believe they can better control costs of the service by doing it themselves. West says the more solid waste facilities there are in Clallam County, the harder it’s going to be to make running a facility cost effective.
“There’s a solid waste plan that’s been agreed upon in the countywide area, as well as a comprehensive plan that has set a tone of, we’re going to have two waste transfer stations in the Port Angeles region and the Sequim region, and that’s what we need to stick with, is the plan.”
This is a developing story. We’ll keep you posted.