Pitkin County landfill expansion design progresses

The Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners heard updates on Tuesday on the design and engineering progress of a proposal to expand the Pitkin County Solid Waste Center.

The landfill originally received an update in 2022 that extended the dump’s life span by up to eight years. ow, it is estimated that the landfill has about four years of fill space left, according to Solid Waste Center officials. 

New expansions have been proposed and still await full permit-approval from the state; they would add more than 7.5 million cubic yards of airspace that has the potential to provide 70 years of additional landfill capacity. 

“This is truly a generational project,” Pitkin County Public Works Director Brian Pettet told commissioners on Tuesday. “The people that will benefit from this effort today have not been born yet.” 

But the renovation will not come without its hurdles. Much of the proposed new space would require the relocation of current dump roads and infrastructure, including the Motherlode Mercantile that currently operates at the bottom of the landfill. 

That infrastructure would be relocated to the north of its current location. A new entry road would need to be constructed to access the location for the new scale and scale house, household and commercial waste facility, and the new Motherlode Mercantile location. 

During the meeting, commissioners and presenters discussed how to address concerns that the planned infrastructure changes might be too constricted. Commissioner Jeffrey Woodruff said large trucks and smaller vehicles taking tight turns through the area might create accidents. 

“It just seems like we’re set up for conflict,” said Woodruff.

Pettet and his team were receptive to those comments and open to changing turn radius and parking setups to address concerns, but also acknowledged that they are working within a confined space. 

“The challenge with the site is it is constrained.” Pettet said in response to Woodruff’s concerns. “We’re really wedging things in here, but maybe we can look at our parking set up here and adjust it with that comment.”

Funding for the project is provided through a November 2024 ballot question that was approved by 84% of Pitkin County voters, providing the County with a bond of up to $22 million for the renovation. 

The BOCC will see a final plan proposal in September before the project moves to break ground.