Renfrew purchases $378,000 excavator to extend landfill lifespan
Renfrew – Renfrew is purchasing of a $378,000 excavator to correct two non-compliance orders and to extend the lifespan of the town’s landfill site.
During the June 13 regular council meeting, Amanda Springer, the town’s Manager of Environmental Services, brought forward a report that provided details on the tendering process for the excavator and why it was required following an August 2023 Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) inspection that confirmed some deficiencies in the landfill’s compacting process.
Earlier this year, council was informed staff discovered a section of the landfill had not been compacted correctly and because the area was located on a slope, a specialized excavator was needed to correct the problem while at the same time not lose balance on the incline. As well, some active areas of the landfill were not covered properly and these deficiencies, if not corrected would not only result in a very expensive repair, but could also threaten the lifespan of the site.
“It was staff that first brought the issues to management, then we brought in WSP and the MECP and we brought in the ministry because we wanted to go to them with a solution rather than a problem,” Ms. Springer told council. “The ministry has identified the steep slopes and the slope on the backside and parts of our active area that are not properly compacted or properly covered.”
She explained that following the ministry inspection, town staff met with representatives from WSP and an instructor who specializes in solid waste protocols. The consultants had experience with remediation of the former Ross Township landfill site and they agreed a track piece of equipment was the best solution. They also agreed the equipment could also be used for other purposes as required.
The two areas of noncompliance issued by the ministry were “NC-2 waste not being adequately compacted – refers to area of steep waste slopes” and “NC-3 inadequate daily cover being placed in some areas of the active area that are not accessible with current equipment.”
To address these issues, the town set out to submit a proposed modification to the slopes through an ECA amendment and work on stabilizing and re-working the slopes in 2024-2025. To address the immediate concerns, it was decided that tracked equipment was needed to safely access the area requiring cover.
The town opted to use Canoe, a purchasing group that works with AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) and provided submission specifications to three Canoe vetted vendors and received submissions back from two vendors, Toromont Cat for a 320 excavator and Brandt/Deere for a 210P excavator and a 250P excavator. Volvo was the third vendor but did not provide a submission.
There was $420,000 budgeted for this purchase, to be funded from the Landfill Reserve in 2024. In this instance, the pricing obtained through the Canoe Program vendors came in $34,838 less than the approved budget amount.
Due to the high cost of the excavator, Councillor Andrew Dick asked for a recorded vote and it passed with unanimous consent.
Bruce McIntyre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eganville Leader
