By Randy Arrington
LURAY, March 4 — The Page County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to set a flat rate of $35 per ton on all municipal solid waste (MSW) going into the Battle Creek Landfill during a work session on Monday night.
Landfill manager Billy Hall told supervisors the county will increase its landfill revenues by 11.3 percent under the rate adjustment, even though some rates would be lowered. The flat rate is projected to generate an additional $197,205.
“Out of county commercial waste scales at a rate of $24 a ton currently. In county commercial waste scales at a rate of $45 a ton currently,” according to Tobey A. Longanecker, Solid Waste Office Manager at Battle Creek. “The new flat rate of $35 a ton will decrease expenses for customers with waste originating in Page County and will increase for customers with waste originating outside of Page County. Page County businesses and those that do business inside of Page County will see a decrease on their waste disposal.”
Supervisors questioned the impact on long-term contracts at the landfill. Hall responded that the county currently only holds two such contracts, with Rappahannock and Warren counties. The Warren contract, which increases 25 cents annually, is now, just this year, up to $35 per ton. Hall said if the county were to lose a contract with waste hauler Patriot, “we have new vendors waiting at the door to take their place.”
After creating a seven-figure financial drain on the county more than two decades ago, the Battle Creek Landfill has become consistently profitable for Page County in recent years.
All county residents may still take household waste to Battle Creek Landfill, or the county’s two convenience centers, at no charge.
In other business at its March 4 work session, the Page County Board of Supervisors took the following actions:
• Heard a request from Stanley Police Chief Ryan Dean to maintain funding during the next budget cycle to cover the School Resource Officer that works at Stanley Elementary and helps cover the Town of Stanley in the summer months.
• Although it was on the work session agenda, no further information was presented on a special use permit application submitted by Jeremy Baldwin to expand his campground at 741 Carvell Road in Rileyville. On March 4, 2014, Baldwin was permitted to operate a campground with 45 primitive sites. The applicant is requesting an expansion to include a total of 125 primitive sites (45 existing and 80 new sites) and eight new cabin sites. A number of concerns have been voiced by surrounding landowners. The Page County Planning Commission, after making some revisions to the draft permit, unanimously recommended approval on Nov. 28, 2023. Supervisors took no further actions on the application on Monday.
One key reason why supervisors took no further action on the special use permit application was due to a letter that the county “received from an attorney,” according to board chairman Keith Weakley. He stated that the letter makes several claims against the county … “two that are patently false” … “as far as the other allegation(s), we have to conduct an investigation…and we can not move forward with the special use permit until the investigation of these allegations made in the letter are complete.”
For more information about Page County government,
visit https://www.pagecounty.virginia.gov/
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