Fuss & O’Neill Report Outlines Costs of Required Upgrades to Keep Grotto Avenue Waste Transfer Station Operational

 Both short and long term scenarios require significant investments to respond to RIDEM deficiencies in order to keep Grotto Avenue Waste Transfer Station operational

The City of Pawtucket today received the assessment report by engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill estimating the cost of site upgrades needed to keep the Grotto Avenue Waste Transfer Station operational at between $740,000-$1,475,000 for short term operations (next 2-3 years) and $1,270,000-$2,520,000 for long term operations (25 years). The cost of closing and capping the former landfill was also estimated to be approximately $4,000,000. Finally, the report ruled out expanding transfer station operations to 2,000 tons per day at Grotto Avenue as extending rail service to the site is likely not practical.

The Fuss & O’Neill report was commissioned in May by the City of Pawtucket’s Public Works Department, at the request of the City Council, to inform ongoing deliberations regarding the City’s waste transfer needs, and to respond to an April 12, 2018 Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management inspection report identifying several site deficiencies that must be addressed in order to keep the facility operational moving forward.

“In May, the City Council voted to continue short term operations at the existing Grotto Avenue Waste Transfer Station through August and this report demonstrates that decision will come with significant costs,” said Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien. “There is no easy solution to Pawtucket’s waste transfer needs, as shown in the past through various options and evaluations, and that is why my administration has worked diligently to present the City Council with options, facts, and well researched costs estimates so an informed decision can be made. Now that the report supports the impact and costs presented, the reality remains that the Council and the Administration must address this critical issue and that all options, from siting a new waste transfer facility, to continuing operations at Grotto Avenue, to capping and closing the current site come with costs, benefits, and an impact to our city.”

A full copy of the Fuss & O’Neill Assessment of Potential Improvements: Grotto Avenue Solid Waste Transfer Station report is available at: http://www.pawtucketri.com/planning-redevelopment/municipal-transfer-station. 

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