Marblehead waste board looks at solar power

MARBLEHEAD – The Solid Waste Facility Committee is exploring solar power as an option for the town?s next transfer station.Committee members met last week and retained Kleinfelder SEA Consultants of Cambridge to design the transfer station and organize the capping of the town?s former landfill. Kleinfelder SEA consultant Stephen Wright has worked with the town on the preliminary design of the $15.1 million project since the beginning.Director of Public Health Wayne Attridge favored the idea of “green energy” at the committee meeting, calling it “a tremendous statement,” and Board of Health members expressed their approval when Attridge relayed the information to them.Committee members are looking at the cap and the construction as a single project with one contract and have asked Wright to review and update the designs, some of which date back to 2005. Wright cautioned them that the work could take as long as 33 months but said he would look for ways to scale down the time.Committee members have asked Wright to formulate a comprehensive request for bids on the entire project and two alternate bids: one in which the transfer station remained in operation and one in which yard waste collection continued.Both programs are popular but could cost the town more during construction.Board of Health members have asked Attridge, who plans to retire Jan. 4, to stay on the solid waste committee after retirement as a voting member. He currently serves as a non-voting member.To ensure that the committee has an odd number of members the board has asked local residents with extensive construction experience to apply for the ninth seat on the committee. The deadline for applications is Nov. 11.